It's the third edition of the ISPS Handa World Super 6 Perth under its current guise and I for one am looking forward to the continuation of what's been a fabulous, flagship tournament at the wonderful Lake Karrinyup.

The unique format of this three-tour hybrid is not for everyone, but so far we've been treated to something quite special and there's every reason to expect that to continue throughout four days of genuine excitement.

First, there will be 54 holes of stroke play - with a standard cut after 36 - before the top 24 advance to Sunday's head-to-head knockout competition, within which each match is played over just six holes to give the event its title.

There is additional incentive attached to the stroke play section with the top eight given a bye to the second round, but while Brett Rumford dominated both that and the match play two years ago, personally I don't particularly like the idea of a bet on just the first 54 holes.

Rumford himself sounded a warning last year when telling reporters that while topping the medal for a second time would be nice, it simply wasn't his focus and he had adjusted his style of play accordingly. Just as is the case at qualifying schools, players are inclined to look behind rather than in front and that tempers enthusiasm.

Instead, focus should be on finding the winner and so far, that's not been as hard as you might think. Rumford is nothing if not a Lake Karrinyup specialist, and he was succeeded by Kiradech Aphibarnrat, a late entrant but very much a classy one, whose victory despite several scares saw him return to the world's top 50.

A place among the game's elite is at the forefront of Tom Lewis's mind and he's respected alongside Thomas Pieters, the sort of boom-or-bust type who should relish this challenge. Pieters returns to Australia three months after his World Cup success alongside Thomas Detry and is of course a threat to all.

However, my suspicion is that those who teed up in the pioneering Vic Open last week will be at an advantage, and that helps shape the staking plan. Rumford had finished inside the top 20 there, before it became a co-sanctioned event, while Aphibarnrat was straight on the plane from Malaysia and beat James Nitties, who had played - albeit poorly - in the Vic Open.

Now that the events boast similar fields, the likelihood that those opting for a fortnight's golf in Australia will make up much of the final leaderboard can only increase, and it's with that in mind I'll make Marcus Fraser the headline pick.

More Rumford than Aphibarnrat - that is, a course-form local rather than world-class tourist - Fraser has started the year nicely, improving from a rusty missed cut in Singapore to win a classy pro-am back on home soil, which in turn preceded 17th place last week.

Fraser made 26 birdies in the Vic Open and would've been right on the heels of the winner had he not butchered the par-five 18th hole at the host course, making six there each day.