One of Bermuda?s longest-running and most popular golf tournaments is being resurrected.

And many of the overseas players who made an annual pilgrimage to the Island when it was a permanent fixture on the calendar for more than a quarter-of-a-century have confirmed their return to help celebrate the re-launch.

With a total purse of $40,000 ? $10,000 more than was offered at last month?s Bermuda Open ? the Gosling?s Invitation (formerly the Belmont Invitation Championships) will tee off at the newly-designed Belmont Hills on Monday.

Among those competing for a first prize of $6,000 will be five-time winner of the Invitation, Tim Conley, 1979 champion Joe Carr, who played in the event for more than 20 years, as well as familiar overseas pros such as Tom Waters, Rick Sovereign and Kevin Morris.

Organisers also confirmed yesterday that three-time Bermuda Open winner PH Horgan, who claimed his third title last month, had accepted an invitation to compete.

However, he can?t fly in until Sunday and will enter Monday?s opening round having never before played the course.

Like Conley, Horgan is a former PGA Tour player.

Attempts to lure Bermuda?s own top pro Michael Sims back to the Island have failed as he has commitments with the South American Tour.

But many of the leading local players will be in the field, including former winner Dwayne Pearman and Hav Trott, who won the Invitation four times as an amateur between 1976 and 1981.

Andrew Trott, Chris Garland, Kim Swan, Brian Morris, Frankie Rabain, Eardley Jones and Keith Smith are also among the local pros entered, while the amateur field will include the likes of Dave Allison, Joey McRonald, Steve Duxbury, Eldon Raynor, Quinton Sherlock and Max Atherden.

Tournament director Keith Cassidy, who played the same role for several years during the annual Invitation, says sponsors Gosling?s are keen to establish the event as the Island?s number one tournament.

?This year?s event has been organised at fairly short notice and some of the players we wanted to take part have already got other commitments,? said Cassidy.

?But we still have a pretty strong field and I think next year when word gets around that we?re up and running again, we?ll see an even stronger entry.?

The Invitation was last held in 1999 and it was soon after that the Belmont Hotel was demolished and work began on redesigning the course.

Belmont Hills opened in 2003 and next week will mark the first time it has hosted a major tournament.

The 72-hole strokeplay event runs from Monday to Thursday with the top 12 pros also receiving cash prizes and the leading amateurs various trophies.

Registration will take place at the course this Sunday followed by a welcoming cocktail party between 5 and 7 p.m.

Top youngster Daniel Augustus, away at a golf academy in the US, finished fifth out of a field of 55 players in the International Junior Golf Tour event at Pinehurst, North Carolina, at the weekend after carding at 74 and a 75, leaving him five shots off the lead.

Augustus, one of the Island?s top juniors who only recently moved away from Bermuda, has been receiving excellent reports from coach Andy Hinson and his game has already improved dramatically after only short stint on the East Coast.