More than 70 teenagers will tee off this morning in the Island's newest junior championship - and there's more than bragging rights at stake when the Bermudians come up against their international counterparts.

The Bank of Bermuda Foundation International Junior Golf Championship has been organised by the Bermuda Junior Golf Association (BJGA) as part of the Jim McLean Future Collegians World Tour (FCWT) and a number of incentives are up for grabs for the top Island finishers.

In fact, the top five BJGA members will have automatic entry into the FCWT National Championships in Florida in May. The sixth, seventh and eighth-placed BJGA finishers will be exempt from qualifying for the FCWT Eastern Regional in early May, with a chance of making the top 24 there and advancing to the Nationals later that month.

As if that's not enough, the top ten BJGA finishers, including ties, will be granted exemptions for two national-ranked events during the next season.

David Boyce and Ryan Marshall are among the 20-plus Bermudian juniors who will be doing their best to take advantage of the enticing exemptions on offer for the 54-hole tournament being held at Mid Ocean Club.

"I'm ready for this. I'd love to win it or be in the top ten overall and top five Bermudians," said 17-year-old Boyce, currently on a golf scholarship at St. Leonard's School in Scotland.

Taking a break from practice yesterday, Marshall echoed his friend's sentiments, adding that while he has not played much recently he is hoping for a strong showing this weekend.

The winner of last summer's Roy Jones BB&T Classic in North Carolina is home expressly for this competition and, apart from aiming to be in the top finishers, he is looking forward to meeting new players and competing against "old buddies".

"I've been playing since 11. I have travelled across the US playing tournaments trying to get better. I have had some good results here also," said the 17-year-old who attends boarding school in Tennessee.

One Bermudian who will be trying not to succumb to hometown jitters is Tashon DeSilva. He is among 15 students from the David Leadbetter Golf Academy in Florida who are entered in the tournament.

"I'm feeling a bit of pressure but I'm not too nervous. I've come here to play my game - not other people's game - and to relax and stay calm on the course," said the Smiths resident.

Having enrolled in the academy last summer, DeSilva, 17, is already witnessing the benefits of such a move.

"My handicap is going down and I'm seeing a lot of improvement. Now, I'm just looking to do Bermuda proud," said the fan of David Duval and Tiger Woods.

Looking ahead, this Bermudian is considering attending college in Alabama and, if all goes well, becoming a professional golfer thereafter.

A good performance here could put him on the right track as this tournament - like 22 other FCWT events - has been given a "Golfweek/Titleist" ranking.

These rankings denote quality and are used by American colleges for recruitment.

So the more of these ranked events that juniors can compete in, the higher their exposure and the better their chances of securing golf scholarships to college.

This situation is not lost on the likes of Lee Keong Yang, Mike Weisenberg and Michael Song - three other tournament participants from the Florida academy. Each has his goals for this competition and beyond.

"I would like to get a golf scholarship to college and we'll see what happens from there. As for this tournament, I think people are going have a pretty hard time because of the undulations of the course and the winds," said Lee, the reigning junior golf champion in his native Singapore.

However, Song and Weisenberg are confident they can negotiate the Mid Ocean conditions as they are similar to courses in their respective homelands of Indonesia and New York.

"This course is beautiful. I just want to play it safe and patient and finish in the top five," said 16-year-old Song who has been playing for four years.

His academy colleague, Weisenberg, noted that windy conditions "just means you just have to play smarter". Like DeSilva, he will be concentrating on his own game.

"I try not to worry about everyone else or look at the scoreboard and be thinking `Oh no, I have to make birdie here'. Otherwise, you end up making a bogey and that brings you down. If you just set your own goals, I think everything will come out right in the end," he reasoned.

Golf instructor at the academy and group chaperon, Shane Reiser, said the aim was for their players to get tournament experience and "some good finishes" in Bermuda. It will be interesting, he added, to see which players "hang in there and fight it out".