One of the strongest fields ever assembled in a Gosling’s Moongate Tour event will compete in the second round of this year’s championship at Tucker’s Point Golf Club on Friday.

Leading the cast is defending Order of Merit champion Dwayne Pearman, who got his title defence off to a solid start with victory in the season opener at Port Royal Golf Course last month.

Pearman, who prevailed by two shots last time, is looking forward to competing among a formidable field in the 18-hole medal event.

“It looks like a nice, competitive field,” the multiple Bermuda Open champion told The Royal Gazette.

“I haven’t been to that course for a bit but all is well. I am hitting okay and we’ll see how it goes.”

Others expected to be in the hunt are professionals Chaka DeSilva, the tournament co-founder, Nick Jones, who finished seventh at last month’s Trinidad and Tobago Golf Open in the Caribbean, and Chris Smith.

The field is also heavily stacked with some of the island’s top amateurs including Oliver Betschart, the 2024 Gosling’s Moongate Tour Championship winner, Kenny Leseur, the newly crowned Bermuda Amateur Match Play champion, and past Bermuda Amateur Men’s Stroke Play Championship winners Jevon Roberts and Will Haddrell.

Leseur, who finished tied for third with DeSilva and Smith last month at Port Royal, is looking forward to getting his competitive juices flowing again.

“I haven’t played too much golf the last week but I am feeling good,” he said. “I am still playing well and look forward to Friday afternoon.”

Also in the mix are women golfers Ebonie Cox and Tariqah Walikraam, who impressed with a seventh-place showing on her Tour debut at Port Royal last month.

“I am just going to take it one shot at a time,”Walikraam said.

“It’s supposed to be windy so course management will be the key to shooting lower scores.”

Among the noticeable absentees is professional Scott Roy, the 2023 Order of Merit winner, who finished runner-up to Pearman last month.