22 Jun 2016

NCAA champions headline NZ team for World Champs

5:26 pm on 22 June 2016

New Zealand's chances of success at the upcoming world amateur golf championships have been boosted by the inclusion of two NCAA champions.

Wellington golfer Julianne Alvarez

Wellington golfer Julianne Alvarez Photo: BW Media / Simon Watts

Six amateurs have been named in the New Zealand teams to compete in the men's Eisenhower and women's Espirito Santo tournament in Mexico in September.

The women's team is spear-headed by Wellington amateur Julianne Alvarez and Wenyung Keh of Auckland who were both part of the Washington University women's team that won the NCAA golf title in Oregon last month.

In their first year at University in America, Alvarez and Keh helped the Washington Huskies to their first ever NCAA golf championship, beating Stanford University in the final.

New Zealand amateur golfer Wenyung Keh.

New Zealand amateur golfer Wenyung Keh. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Rounding out the three-woman team is Chantelle Cassidy from Waikato.

Auckland amateur Nick Voke, Luke Toomey of Waikato and Ryan Chisnall from Tasman make up New Zealand's three-man team for the Eisenhower Trophy.

The trio of men will attempt to follow in the footsteps of U.S. Open champion, Michael Campbell, Phil Tataurangi, Grant Moorhead and Stephen Scahill who claimed New Zealand's only World Amateur Championship team title in Canada in 1992.

-RNZ