A Bermuda women's golf team consisting of Laura Robinson, Ebonie Burgess and Katyna Rabain teed off this morning at the World Amateur Team Championships in South Africa.

The 22nd edition of the most prestigious competition in amateur golf ? which has attracted female teams from 48 countries ? is being played on two courses just outside Cape Town, the 6,982-yard de Zalze Golf Club and the 6,620-yard Stellenbosch Golf Club.

The three local ladies earned a place on the team through their performances in the Bermuda Amateur Strokeplay Championships earlier this year at Port Royal, where Burgess won the title by a massive 17 shots from nearest rival and defending champion Robinson.

The format for the event will see the three players from each team play four rounds ? two on each course ? with the lowest two scores from each round being combined to make up the overall team total.

Sweden are the defending champions of the biennial event. Bermuda's team of Robinson, Burgess and former pro Kim Bothelo placed 39th out of 47 teams in Puerto Rico in 2004.

Meanwhile, the team of Robert Vallis, William Haddrell and Port Royal superintendent Nick Mansell leave this week for South Africa to compete for the Eisenhower Trophy, the men's amateur world team championships, with the competition set to get underway next week.