Kris Mueck and Lucas Herbert will chase their first hometown professional win in Friday’s Evolution Copy Print Solutions Neangar Park Pro-Am.
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A high quality field of 44 professionals has entered the $11,000 event.
Herbert will tee-off in the marquee group alongside two-time Neangar Park Pro-Am champion David Bransdon, Matthew Millar and Deyen Lawson.
Herbert, 21, will be hoping to start 2017 the way he finished 2016.
The Neangar Park product finished second in the Queensland Open, tied for eighth in the New South Wales Open and tied for 20th in the Australian Open in his final three events of 2016.
The results lifted his world ranking to a career high 716.
Mueck, who is drawn to play with Mitchell Brown, Harley Williams and Mitchell Sheather, has made a strong start to 2017.
Mueck fired a brilliant six-under 66 to win the recent Goonawarra Pro-Am in Sunbury and then backed up with equal second at the Curlewis Pro-Am.
Mueck enjoyed a career-best 2016, which included four starts overseas on the European Tour.
The highlight of his season was finishing tied for eighth at the Trophee Hassan II in Morocco.
Matthew Millar is the highest ranked player in the field. The Canberra-based veteran has a world ranking of 437.
Bransdon, ranked 667 in the world, has made the Neangar Park course his own at his previous two visits.
Deyen Lawson will be a player to watch on Friday. He won last Saturday’s Safety Beach Pro-Am and in 2016 lifted his world ranking from 1711 to 977.
All players tee-off at 11am on Friday and entry is free for spectators.
While Herbert and Mueck will chase hometown glory, Bendigo’s third professional golfer Andrew Martin will miss his home course event.
Martin leads the field at the halfway mark of the Australasian PGA Tour qualifying school at the Sandhurst Club in Melbourne.
Martin fired opening rounds of 65 and 68 to be 11-under par, two shots ahead of Taylor McDonald.
At the completion of 72 holes, the top 40 players receive Australasian PGA Tour cards.
The higher Martin finishes at qualifying school the more events he will be able to play in 2017.
Victory at qualifying school would guarantee Martin a start in all Australasian PGA Tour events, while a top five finish should earn him an exemption into most events.
Martin won the qualifying school event the last time it was played at Sandhurst in 2009.
