AS WAS the case a couple of years ago, there's more at stake for some than for others when the Bermuda Men's Amateur Strokeplay Championships tee off at Port Royal this morning.

A full field of close to 100 golfers have registered for the annual event, but for a dozen local contenders the stakes are much higher.

Besides attempting to win the 72-hole competition, those 12 will be hoping to cement their place in the Bermuda team that will travel to the biennial World Amateur Team Championships in Kuala Lumpur in October.

Come Sunday afternoon, three of them will have booked their tickets.

Following a history of controversy over the choice of Bermuda's team for the Worlds, it was decided a few years ago to adopt a selection policy which dictated that only the 12 leading players on Bermuda Golf Association's Order of Merit (OM) come June 1 would be able to stake their claim.

And then, they could only do so by competing in the Amateur Strokeplay which in effect has become the final qualifier for selection.

No matter whether a player finishes first on the Order of Merit or 12th, they are given the same opportunity to make the team.

Indeed, only the top three finishers this weekend will be picked for a competition which will see Bermuda lining up against many of the top amateurs in the world at the Saujana Golf and Country Club in Kuala Lumpur on October 24.

Nick Mansell leads the OM with 1571/2 points followed by youngster Jarryd Dillas on 129.

Third place was actually held down by Michael Sims (95 points) who earlier this year turned professional and thereby declared himself ineligible for selection.

The lucky beneficiary of Sims' career choice is Zane DeSilva, who placed 13th on the OM with 25 points but now moves into the top 12 following Sims' withdrawal.

Others who can contest for a ticket to Malaysia are Blake Marshall (871/2), Winston Trott (671/2), Robert Vallis (65), Gary Carr (52), Michael Tavares (40), Tim Carr (40), Eldon Raynor (40), Joey McRonald (35) and Douglas Morris (25).

Of those 12, only McRonald had not confirmed his entry in the Strokeplay earlier this week.

Veteran Tavares defends the crown he lifted a year ago and can expect stiff competition from, in particular, the likes of Mansell, Marshall, Vallis and Dillas with Tim Carr, a former Match Play champion, also in the frame.

All of those will be seen as contenders for the overall title as well as a place in the Worlds team.

Outside of the Order of Merit 12, youngsters such as Aaron James and Ryan Mello might pose the biggest threat.

In an overseas entry of just eight players, Andrew Ryan sports the lowest handicap of three with Ben Ureta and Andy Burrows both arriving with six handicaps.

The four-day tournament runs through Monday with the 54-hole ladies championship starting tomorrow.

Jennifer Spurling will defend her title in a field of 21 with her most likely competition expected to come from young guns Ebonie Burgess, Stephanie Lewis and Laura Robinson. Visitor Mary Ann Plunkett, with a two handicap, is also likely to be among the front runners.

l Pro Eardley Jones, the man behind the Shell Youth Summer Tour which began last night, recently returned from overseas with three young Bermudians who competed at the the third annual Teens on the Green Junior Tournament.

Held at the Championsgate Golf Resort in Orlando, Florida, the tournament was ranked as an International World Championship event and attracted nearly 300 players from 21 countries.

Jones' own 12-year-old son, Nick, placed a creditable seventh among the 23 players in his age group. He fired rounds of 87, 80 and 82 over the 6,500 yard course.

Chris Smith, who was too old for the junior division, won a celebrity event with fine rounds of 73 and 71 (one under par) while his 15-year-old brother Brian failed to make the two-round cut.