Twelve new entries will be among the 60 teams competing in the 60th Bermuda Goodwill Pro-Am which begins today at the four courses, Port Royal, Riddell’s Bay, Mid-Ocean and Tucker’s Point.

The tournament is the longest-running Pro-Am in history and was founded in 1953 by the Bermuda Golf Association to promote the Island and bestow goodwill upon the participants. Past tournaments have brought teams to Bermuda from the United States, Canada, the UK and Europe.

This year there will be 26 teams from the US, 23 from Canada, one from the UK and ten from Bermuda.

The tournament runs until Friday and will involve four days of competition on four courses, with the 72-hole strokeplay competition comprising of one club professional and three amateur players, with participants playing in both an individual professional and a team event.

The tournament field will be divided into four flights and teams will play 18 holes each at the four courses. Prizes include daily team low gross and low net, longest drive and closest-to-the-pin competitions. There is a hole-in-one competition for a club car that will be held on the 16th hole at Port Royal Golf Club.

Professionals will compete in a 72-hole stableford tournament and the professional division will be divided into three sections: men’s junior division, men’s senior division (50 and over) and the women’s division. Event organisers Nicholas Mansell and Susie Marshall, owners of Tee to Green Ltd, are proud to be organising and running this historic golf event, especially on its 60th anniversary.

“The tournament provides Bermuda’s economy with a significant boost during the off-season” Marshall said. “This year the Bermuda Goodwill Tournament will attract approximately 400 visitors to the island for some of the very best golf and great times. This is a 10 per cent increase over last year’s numbers, with the tournament injecting close to $1.5 million into Bermuda’s economy during the month of December.”

Mansell is excited by the continued growth of the tournament during these difficult times. “We have 12 new teams lined up this year, which is very encouraging. This year’s field of nine ladies’ teams is double that of last year and Lambton Golf & Country Club, tournament winners in 2011, are sending six teams this year. We would love to see the tournament have 120 teams entered as it did in days gone by. These are all strong indicators that the tournament is moving in the right direction.”

Shawn Crockwell, the Minister of Tourism Development, said: “Bermuda Tourism is once again honoured to be a sponsor and be a part of the tradition that is the Bermuda Goodwill. We extend a warm welcome to all our visitors and trust that they will have a great time on the golf courses and an even better experience taking in Bermuda’s wide array of natural beauty, our shopping, dining and sightseeing attractions.

“We value the significant impact that the Bermuda Goodwill has on our economy and wish the tournament much success this week.”