The 60th playing of the Bermuda Goodwill Golf Tournament will begin on Monday with 54 teams taking part and the professionals competing for a record $65,000 purse in the week-long event.The tournament is the longest running Pro-Am in local golf history and was founded in 1953 by Bermuda Golf Association to promote the Island and bestow goodwill among the participants.This year’s competition will be played at four courses Port Royal, Riddell’s Bay, Mid Ocean Club and Tucker’s Point.As always, the 72-hole strokeplay event has teams comprised of one club professional and three amateur players with participants playing in both an individual pro and a team tournament.Last year’s winners, Lambton Golf and Country Club from Toronto, Ontario will be returning with three teams to defend their title.Past tournaments have brought teams to Bermuda from the United States, Canada, the UK and continental Europe.This year sees 29 teams from the United States, 17 from Canada and eight from Bermuda.The tournament field will be divided into four flights and teams will play 18 holes each at the four courses. Prizes will be handed out daily for gross and low net, longest drive and closest to the pin.Also on offer is a club car for anyone who cards a hole-in-one on the par-three 17th at Mid Ocean Club.Other hole-in-one prizes include an Amazon Kindle Fire, a set of Cleveland Irons and a $500 Visa Gift Card. All prizes for the event have been made, designed or created in Bermuda.Professionals will play in a 72-hole Stableford tournament and for a purse of $65,000, the largest that the tournament has ever offered. It will be divided into three sections: Men's Junior Division, Men's Senior Division (50+) and the Ladies Division.“The event gives club professionals the opportunity to invite their members for a great week of golf and special events in Bermuda,” said Bermuda Golf Association in a statement.“The Bermuda Golf Association is proud to once again be organising and running this historic golf event especially in its 60th playing.”“This year the Bermuda Goodwill Tournament will attract more than 350 visitors to the Island during the tourism off-season. That represents a more than 50 percent increase over last year’s numbers with the tournament injecting close to $1.5 million into Bermuda’s economy during the first week of December.“Many club teams have attended the competition for decades and enjoyed the opportunity to once again meet old friends and make new ones as well. The BGA have been working closely with Bermuda Tourism to make this year’s event a very special one indeed.”