Oliver and Darina Betschart will be gunning for a hat-trick of victories when the Cedarberry Bowl gets underway at Mid Ocean Club today.

The golf siblings have dominated the 54-hole event for the past two years and are again firm favourites in their respective divisions.

They will start their title defence high on confidence after recent podium finishes at the Puerto Rico Junior Championships, in which Oliver finished tied for third and Darina won the girls 15 and under age group.

Oliver expressed mixed feelings heading into the tournament.

“I am sad that this will be my last year playing in this event but excited that they have added Mid Ocean Golf Club and Five Forts, where we will play the first two rounds, and then Newstead Belmont Hill for the final round on Sunday,” he told The Royal Gazette.

“Defending a title is never easy and I am not really thinking about that because the venues have changed as well as the field, so I will stick to playing one shot at a time.”

Sibling Darina is thrilled to compete in the prestigious junior event again.

“I am excited about playing this week,” she said.

“This is one of the bigger junior events in Bermuda, and I was able to get some one on one training in Texas and really work on my game.

“I also played in a few tournaments with good results, so looking forward to playing at home again.”

Also among the contenders in the main championship are Arman Newton and Sa-Qui Robinson, who finished second and third last year, as well as Johnny Bart.

Newton is also fresh from competing at the Puerto Rico Junior Championships along with the Betschart siblings, placing 32nd. Also competing there was Lewis MacFarlane, who finished runner-up in the boys 13 and under age group and is among this year’s Cedarberry Bowl field.

The tournament will again include a Novice Stableford division, with categories for Open Girls, 12 to 13, and 9 to 11. Novice players will compete over a reduced number of holes each day from restricted tees, a format designed to encourage development, confidence, and enjoyment.

The event, which brings together Bermuda’s leading junior golfers while also creating opportunities for newer players to compete in a fun and supportive setting, is expected to feature the largest field in recent memory.

Patrick Graham, the tournament director, said the continued growth of the event reflects the positive momentum within junior golf on island.

“The Bermuda Golf Association is very proud to host this year’s tournament and grateful to the venues for allowing our juniors to experience their courses over the three days,” he said.

“We already have 55 junior golfers registered, which is fantastic and represents a significant increase from last year’s field.

“The tournament is growing year on year and we are sincerely thankful to our title sponsor, Talcott Financial Group, for coming on board and helping to reduce entry fees, making participation more accessible for all junior golfers.

“We also thank Butterfield Group for its continued support in providing welcome packs for the players, which is very much appreciated.”