A pair of Australian construction bosses have managed to dupe authorities in one of the most authoritarian nations on earth into letting them compete in a international professional golf tournament.

Cushman & Wakefield associate director, Morgan Ruig, and Nodad Design & Construct director, Evan Shay, can now officially say that they have represented their native Australia on the international stage after the prank in North Korea.

The pair of long-term friends had been in Beijing playing polo when they heard about the seventh annual North Korean Golf Championships.

According to Mr Ruig, they applied to play in the championship, claiming to be the Australian Golf team.

To their amazement, they were accepted by authorities in the Stalinist state run by by dictator Kim Jong Un.

“They didn’t check. We went over under the guise of the Australian Golf team but they quickly realised we weren’t after the first tee-off,” Mr Ruig said.

“I hit 120 and my caddy told me I had bought great shame to my family.

“We played very poorly … but we met some very interesting people.”

The two-day tournament attracted 85 international participants and included some “official” duties such as a visit to the Mansudae Grand Monument.

“We were very nervous handing our passports over at the border. There are stories of people not coming home,” Mr Ruig said.

“It’s a place where you tread lightly but if you go off the beaten track they don’t muck about and lock you up”, he added.

“It was character building. I wouldn’t recommend it to a light-hearted traveller. It was pretty hard core but it was an amazing experience.”