A squad of 12 Australian amateurs has been chosen to take part in a development trip to New Zealand starting this week.

Both men and women will practise at North Shore Golf Club today and tomorrow in preparation for the north Auckland club’s 54-hole tournament across the weekend.

The squad will have a rest day on Monday, then travel slightly further north and have a practice round at Gulf Harbour Country Club on Tuesday before a series of matches against a New Zealand squad the following three days.

The women in the Australian development squad are Hallie Meaburn (Tas), Caitlin Pierce (SA), Sarah Wilson (Qld), Belinda Ji (NSW) and Kirsten Rudgeley (WA).

The men’s squad originally comprised Hayden Hopewell (WA), Andree Lautee (Vic), Phoenix Campbell (Vic), Lawry Flynn (Qld), Jack Buchanan (SA), Harrison Crowe (NSW) and Lewis Hoath (Qld), but the Victorians were unable to travel because of COVID regulations.

Golf Australia high performance operations manager Cameron Vincent said the “unofficial” matches against the Kiwis were an important part of the athletes’ development.

“These types of chances have obviously been limited lately, so this is a great opportunity for players in the squads of both countries to get some international competition and training,” Vincent said.

“We view these things as being vital for successful transition (to pro ranks) for our emerging athletes, if they go down that path, so we’re grateful to Golf NZ for their assistance and invitation.”