Lewis MacFarlane and Darina Betschart are back to defend their titles as the ICS Tires Cobra Puma Junior Championships takes centre stage at Ocean View on Monday and Tuesday.

Last year saw MacFarlane going from wire-to-wire to claim the boys’ 11-13 title by a resounding 18 shots, while Betschart was the only competitor in the girls’ division after sole rival Poppy Parry withdrew from the 36-hole event.

New champions will be crowned in the boys’ 14-18 and novice divisions this year. Last year’s boys’ 14-18 champion Arman Newton is not back to defend his title, while last year’s novice division winner Joshua Cann has moved up to the boys’ 11-13 division.

Tournament director and Ocean View head professional Oliver Pitcher Jr is delighted to have another bumper field competing this year.

“We are excited to say that once again we have a maximum field of 30. They all seem to really enjoy this event and we have had a lot of positive feedback from parents, kids and all,” he told The Royal Gazette.

“We are definitely looking forward to it once again and hopefully it’s a good two days of weather for the kids and we’re expecting some competitive golf.”

Pitcher is equally as delighted to see junior golf in Bermuda on the rise again.

“Based off the responses we’ve had it’s great to see junior golf revamping itself,” he said.

“There are a few other events going on now when it comes to junior golf, but for a period of time there was no junior golf. It was completely dead and it was a difficult thing for those of us that came up through the junior golf programme many years ago.

“It was very well organised and we were playing golf week in, week out at various courses around the island. We also had a big event during the summer months called the Atlantic International Tournament where you had kids coming from the Bahamas and different places like that competing here on local soil.

“To see junior golf die out and then now you’re getting people involved behind the scenes that are trying to revamp it, along with the response that we’ve been getting and the increase in kids getting involved with the game, is great to see.”

Pitcher also thanked tournament sponsors and his fellow organising committee members for their continued support.

“Definitely want to thank the main sponsors, Island Construction. They have sponsored the event each and every year, so again a special thank you and shout out to them,” he said.

“I also want to thank the committee that I have beside me that consists of myself, Darrin Lewis, Ebonie Cox, Quinton Sherlock Jr, and we have Andrew Trott, who is the director of golf at both Ocean View and Port Royal, now involved with us as well with this event, so it’s growing.

“I know Brian [Brian Morris, late Ocean View head professional] would be extremely pleased to see the way that the event is going, something that he started along with myself, Ebonie and Quinton.”