Studying up on his youngest rival at the South Pacific Open in Noumea won't take long for revitalised Australian golfer Andre Stolz.
His 16-year-old son Zac will make the transition from Stolz's caddie to competitor after entering the PGA Tour of Australasia's newest addition as an amateur.
Thanks to a sponsor's invite, Zac will tee off in his first PGA Tour of Australasia event as his dad attempts to add another chapter to his remarkable comeback story.
In 2005, a nagging wrist injury forced Stolz to stop playing for almost three years.
Now the former US PGA Tour winner is the OneAsia Order of Merit leader after earning $US433,125 ($A419,000) from six events.
He arrived in New Caledonia still buzzing from his second OneAsia tour win of 2011 - last month's Thailand Open.
Stolz, who also won the OneAsia season-opening Indonesia PGA Championship in March, held out local golfer Prayad Marksaeng to claim the Thailand Open by two shots.
Suffice to say Stolz is no longer troubled by his wrist.
"I am pretty happy with my game at the moment and feel like I can put myself in contention each week," he said.
"The South Pacific Open is going to be a new challenge though.
"I played at (Noumea's) Tina (Golf Club) in the four-day pro-am in 2009 and finished top 10 so it would be great to get another win up before heading into the rest of the Australian season."
Stolz and his son - who in February was named in the NSW junior state squad - will be joined in Noumea by Victorian Matthew Griffin.
After three top-10 finishes on the 2010 PGA Tour of Australasia, Griffin is hoping for his breakthrough win this season in New Caledonia.
It will mark the first time the Noumea tournament has been elevated to PGA Tour of Australasia status.
Once a pro-am on the NSW circuit, the South Pacific Open will be part of the PGA Tour of Australasia schedule for the next five years.
The $110,000 event - held on one of New Caledonia's three 18-hole golf courses - tees off on Wednesday.
