Grab the remote, or maybe buy another TV: there are three live events this weekend, all screening at more or less the same time.  First up is the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at Royal Wellington, where 10 New Zealand amateurs will be vying for the chance to get a ticket to the 2018 Masters and Open Championship.  Michael Hendry and Ryan Fox get their chance against the best of the best in the WGC HSBC Champions in Shanghai, and Lydia Ko will be looking to go one better than last week in the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur.


Gareth Paddison and Campbell Rawson are in the Indonesia Open in Jakarta, and there’s also a string of New Zealanders playing in the Isuzu Queensland Open in Brisbane.


Finally, congratulations to NZ PGA Members Frank Nobilo and Greg Turner on their induction into the New Zealand Golf Hall of Fame.  They join a very exclusive group by becoming the 7th and 8th inductees.


WGC-HSBC Champions


Ryan Fox and Michael Hendry are very much in Town Hall company, as they take on the likes of Dustin Johnston, defending champion Hideki Matsuyama, Justin Rose, Matt Kuchar, Jason Day, Henrik Stenson, Phil Mickelson, Tyrrell Hatton, 2017 US Open Champion Brooks Koepka and many others….


Michael Hendry has played here twice before: in 2013 when he finished T50 on -2, a long way behind runaway winner Dustin Johnston, and in 2014 under very testing conditions he was T64 on +12.  However, it will be Ryan’s debut in this four round, no cut event.  It’s a greta chance for both our guys to start stuffing the Christmas stocking.


The Sheshen International GC has an exciting finish featuring the 260 metre driveable 16th, the par 3 17th where danger always lurks, and the reachable 480 metre par 5 18th, so much can change over the last few holes.


Ryan Fox tees off with Scott Hend and Patrick Cantley; Hendry is drawn with Yanwei Lu and Mike Lorenzo-Vera.


Coverage is on SS 52 from 3.00pm today.


Asia Pacific Amateur Championship


This is an excellent chance to see the region’s leading amateurs – a number of whom are sure to go on to worthwhile careers in the professional ranks – in action on Greg Turner’s rebuild of Royal Wellington.  Leading the NZ contingent is Nick Voke, who will go on to the USA in a few days’ time to play in Stage 2 Web.Com Q-School.  If he gets through that he will surely turn professional.


Competition for the chance to go to Augusta and Carnoustie next year will be hot, with the likes of Australian Travis Smyth (who recently won the Northern Territory PGA Championship), and many talented players from Japan, Korea and China.


Our boys will probably be hoping for the Wellington “breeze” to be a factor, given their greater familiarity with the conditions.  Today may see a few showers and a wind change, but conditions look relatively benign on Friday and Saturday, with northerlies forecast to pick up on Sunday, which could enhance what is sure to be an exciting finish.


Frank Nobilo is part of the commentary team, and live coverage is on SS53 from 4.00pm today.


Isuzu Queensland Open


This tournament has moved in recent years from the testing Brookwater layout to the Brisbane Golf Club.  There are six New Zealanders in the field: Michael Long, Harry Bateman, Kieran Muir, Brad Shilton, Mark Brown and Josh Munn.  Brown has the best recent form of these, and is currently the highest ranked (26th), but the others have plenty of incentive to take their opportunity at possible starts in the Australian Open and PGA Championship in a few weeks time.


You can follow the action at www.pga.org.au


LPGA


The ladies get their chance to test their skills on the same layout used by the PGA Tour two weeks ago at TPC Kuala Lumpur in the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia, but not from the same tees obviously!  Lydia Ko will be looking to get some ruboff from Danny Lee’s birdie and eagle harvest in that tournament, as she seeks to record her first victory of 2017.


She plays the first round with NZ Open winner Brooke Henderson (Canada), and In Gee Chun (Korea), both of whom are currently ahead of Lydia in the Race to the CME Globe.


Coverage is on SS 54 from 4.00pm today.


Asian Tour


Gareth Paddison gets another chance in the Indonesian Open at the Pondok Indah GC in Jakarta, to follow in the footsteps of Michael Hendry, whose 2010 victory in the same event jet-propelled his career.  He will be joined by fellow New Zealander Campbell Rawson.


Also in the field is Daniel Chopra, who may be a chance as this is the course on which he played much of his golf back in his junior days.  It would certainly create headlines if the colourful Swede could get back in the winner’s circle – hopefully not at the expense of one of our guys, though!


Live scoring is available at www.asiantour.com