A quality field of 91 golfers which is littered with overseas professionals will once again scrap it out next week for the $9,000 first prize of the Gosling?s Invitational at Belmont Hills.

Last year?s winner Kirk Hannefield returns to defend his title at the short 6,100-yard Warwick course with the notoriously tricky, multi-tiered greens, together with recently-crowned Bermuda Open champion Tim Conley, and former winners Keir Smith and Ian Doig.

With Bermuda?s top golfer Michael Sims in California attempting to earn his first PGA Tour playing card at Q School?s third and final stage, the main local challenge will be taken up as usual by Dwayne Pearman, former European PGA Tour pro Kim Swan and Belmont teaching professional Brian Morris.

Pearman, who represented the Island along with good friend Sims at the Nations Cup in Aruba this September, has enjoyed a busy and successful year, travelling abroad often to play in Pro-Ams and mini-Tour events and recently earning his card to compete on the Tour de Las Americas next year.

?It would have been nice to have Michael Sims here obviously but we?re all very excited for him that he made it through to the third stage of Q School and we?re all wishing him well,? said tournament director Alex Madeiros yesterday.

?But once again we?ve got a very good field together with around 40 players from overseas and a good mix of amateurs and professionals. We?re all looking forward to a good week.?

Another overseas pro familiar to Bermuda who is set to compete next week is former Nationwide Tour player P.H. Horgan ? a three-time Bermuda Open winner ? who unlike Sims ? narrowly failed to make the grade at the second stage of Q School ten days ago and must now wait another 12 months for another shot at the coveted card.

Conley, meanwhile, who is the only man to have won every professional event staged in Bermuda ? including the Open, the Belmont Invitational, The Lobster Pot Professional Tournament and the Goodwill ? will be hoping for his second win on local soil in the last two months.

The 47-year-old, who has been coming to the Island for over 20 years to play competitive golf, was involved in a controversial incident at the Gosling?s Invitational two years ago when he was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard ? a mistake brought to the attention of tournament officials by his then-playing partner Doig.