Jerry Rice and Billy Joe Tolliver will get the Bermuda Golf Classic under way at Port Royal Golf Course this morning.

The pair are playing together in the first round of the NFL Invitational event, alongside Chris Mohr, the former Buffalo Bills punter, and Venice Glen, the former San Diego Chargers safety.

Mohr and Tolliver are no strangers to the course, while Rice, who had a Hall of Fame career with the San Francisco 49ers, plays off a two handicap and is among the favourites to win the tournament.

Tolliver will also fancy his chances, having finished second to Lawrence Taylor in a play-off last year, although both are likely to face tough competition from Jay Feely, whose +1.4 handicap suggests he is the best golfer in this week’s field.

Feely, the former Arizona Cardinals kicker and television analyst, tees off in the second group at 10.20am, alongside another Hall of Famer, Chris Doleman, the Minnesota Vikings defensive end.

Other NFL stars here this week include Max Starks, who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers for nine years, and Marcus Stroud, the former Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end.

In all 24 former NFL players will be on the course for the next three days, with the second and final round of the tournament tomorrow, and a Pro Am on Saturday, where amateurs will team up with the players they have drafted at a fundraising dinner at Cambridge Beaches tomorrow night.

The charity benefiting from this week’s events is Family Centre, and organisers are hoping the Bermuda public will come out and support the event over the next several days.

On Saturday, Goslings, who are sponsoring the tournament, will be hosting a party on the 16th at Port Royal from 1pm to 8pm, where fans can watch as players contend with the courses’ signature hole.

As part of the afternoon’s festivities Goslings are offering fans the opportunity to get an NFL player trading card signed by Rice, Doleman, Feely, or any of the other players involved this week.

For a small donation to Family Centre, fans, who are encouraged to watch the golf on Friday and Saturday, can take the card and wait to get it signed.

Fans are also encouraged to stay and watch the golf, mix with the players and enjoy the atmosphere at the island’s most famous golf hole.