Rūātoki’s Nikau and Arahina Black are primed and ready to tackle fellow junior golfers their age in the United States next week.

The duo have qualified for the US Kids Golf World Championships in Pinehurst North Carolina on the back of some impressive performances throughout the New Zealand summer.

The sisters, who are junior members at the Whakatāne Golf Club, have been hitting golf balls since they were two and are now excelling in the sport which their dad, Ranui Black, grew up loving and playing.

Eight-year-old Nikau took out the New Zealand Golf Championships 8 and under division, run by the US Kids Tour.

The victory earned her the spot to compete at Pinehurst, where she will be representing New Zealand against golfers from around the world.

Her younger sister, Arahina, 7, produced some outstanding performances in her final couple of tournaments to also earn a spot at the tournament.

Originally, they had planned to play in two tournaments, but costs have meant this is not possible.

“Costs meant things would double, so we’re just going over for the main three-day tournament and about 10-days all up,” said Black.

They have allowed five days before the July 31 start of the tournaments, enough time to fit in some practice, hit plenty of balls and scope out the course with their caddies, Uncle Whetu Wiremu and Dad.

“It’s a chance to acclimate to conditions, walk the course, scope it out every day and get used to the heat over there. It will be a bit of a new experience,” Black said.

He said everything had gone well in the lead-up to America, with training and fundraising for this and future tournaments.

“The girls have been training six days a week, three-to-five hours a day.

“They have been locking in every day, hitting as many balls as possible and just preparing for what’s over there.”

Fundraising tournaments in Whakatāne and Kawerau raised over $5000 and the girls were given new clubs and balls by the Golf Warehouse. Black said the clubs had added some extra power and strengths to their game.

At Pinehurst, Arahina is playing in the seven-year-old division and Nikau is in the eight-year-old division.

Each age group plays on a different golf course.

“They’re only about 10 minutes away from each other and our AirBNB,” said Black.

“Pinehurst is a massive golf area. The whole area is like a golf sanctuary. It will be something new for our family and hopefully we can bring our whole whānau on the trip, too, through social media.”

Black expects the tournaments to be challenging for both girls, but said they were up for it.

“The winner from Arahina’s grade last year scored about four under through three rounds, so as long as she’s consistent, she should hopefully have a good shot, while Nikau’s winner shot is 10-under, so she’ll need to be at her best for the three days. But they can definitely both do it; they have the game to make the top three.”

Ranui said the sisters get on well.

“They’re never alone and always train together, so if one is having a bad day, the other one has a good day and it just balances things out.

“We’re fortunate to have this triad of a team, go out every day and figure out what we need to do.

“The girls compete with each other, push each other and no one gets left behind. If one is down the other picks them up.

“I’m guessing something similar must have happened with the Williams sisters Serena and Venus.”

They tee off officially on July 31 and play August 1 and 2.

A day later, there is a formal prizegiving, bringing together all the competitors from across the age groups.

“It may not happen this year and may not happen next year but those are the feelings we look forward to, hopefully walking on those stages,” said Black.

Anyone wanting to support the Black sisters in their golf adventures can donate on their Givealittle page (Two Sisters. One Dream. The World’s Biggest Junior Golf Tournaments) or send messages of support to their Black Sisters Golf Adventures Facebook page.