It does not have as strong a field as last year but there should still be a decent battle in the annual Dunedin strokeplay this weekend.
The St Clair tournament has been hit hard by player defections as the Otago Golf Club has its annual interclub clash with the Christchurch Golf Club at Balmacewen at the same time.
That means classy golfers like Brandon Hodgson, Luke Murdoch and Duncan Croudis are missing from the strokeplay field.
There is also no Ben Patston, who won the Dunedin title a year ago with rounds of 70 and 72 to finish at even-par for the tournament and claim victory by a stroke, and Otago No 1 Will McLauchlan is in Australia.
Golf can be an unpredictable game but there is every chance the strokeplay could come down to a shootout between the two best players.
Home-course hero Parker Aluesi is humming after winning the Taieri Classic, while Taieri Lakes veteran Phil Bungard will no doubt fancy adding the Dunedin strokeplay title to the Otago strokeplay championship he won last month.
Youngsters Kai Koni and Connor Howes and St Clair Saints No 1 Logan Clarke are other golfers to watch.
Titirangi golfer Gabriela He, who finished ninth at the New Zealand amateur last year, sticks out in the small women’s field.
Tournament organisers have tinkered with the format in a bid to make it more accessible.
While the top golfers will still play 36 holes, 18 each day, entrants can now choose to play Saturday only or Sunday only, and both rounds will offer prizes.
