Australia’s top juniors will take part in a groundbreaking international event this week at Stevens Point in Wisconsin – albeit battling a lack of sleep.

The likes of adidas Australian Amateur runner-up Amelia Harris and Australian Junior Amateur champion Sam Cascio are competing for their country in a head-to-head Ryder Cup-style format against the United States at SentryWorld.

The matches begin on Tuesday (US time).

The 12-player team members flew in late on Monday having had their flight from Australia delayed, missing a connection, and severely interrupting their preparation.

“It was 38 hours just to get here from Brisbane, from the moment we left home in the morning until arriving here,” said Queenslander Sarah Hammett, one of the stars of the national team.

“We haven’t slept. We got in at 4.30 (am) and went out and played a ‘praccy round’. We didn’t go to bed.”

The Australians will have a night’s sleep in Wisconsin before taking on the Americans on Wednesday morning (AEST).

Hammett said the players were not bothered by the delays and would be ready tomorrow. “It’ll be okay. We’ve got ice cream to save us!

“It’s the purest course ever and we’re all pumped. It’s going to be a challenge but we’re excited and it’ll be a good experience to compare our game’s with amateurs overseas.”

Oberle said the Australian players were “mostly all okay” and predicted a strong showing.

“Our best can definitely beat theirs and any given day anyone can beat each other,” he said.

The new competition was set up in a collaboration between the USGA and Golf Australia.

It will be a World Amateur Golf Ranking® sanctioned event, featuring 12 players from each nation in a mixed format. Tuesday’s four ball and foursomes matches are followed by singles play on Wednesday.

“This match is another milestone in advancing the vision of the US National Development Program by empowering elite juniors with a chance to play on the international stage,” said Chris Zambri, head coach of the U.S. National Teams.

“We’re thankful to Golf Australia for partnering on this initiative, allowing our athletes to compete and learn from one another in what we hope is the first of many more events to come.”

TEAMS AUSTRALIA Boys Sam Cascio, 16, New South Wales Josiah Edwards, 16, Western Australia Hamish Farquharson, 16, Victoria Spencer Harrison, 15, Western Australia Kayun Mudadana, 17, New South Wales Chase Oberle, 16, Queensland Girls Reagan Denton, 16, South Australia Sarah Hammett, 17, Queensland Amelia Harris, 16, Victoria Rachel Lee, 16, New South Wales Ella Scaysbrook, 18, New South Wales Shyla Singh, 17, Queensland USA Boys Blades Brown, 17, of Nashville, Tenn. Phillip Dunham, 16, of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Henry Guan, 15, of Irving, Texas Will Hartman, 17, of Marvin, N.C. Tyler Mawhinney, 16, of Fleming Island, Fla. Tyler Watts, 16, of Huntsville, Ala. Girls Gianna Clemente, 16, of Estero, Fla. Ryleigh Knaub, 17, of Debary, Fla. Chloe Kovelesky, 17, of Boca Raton, Fla. Nikki Oh, 16, of Torrance, Calif. Scarlett Schremmer 17, of Birmingham, Ala. Asterisk Talley, 15, of Chowchilla, Calif.