Goodwill tournament attracts 115 teams
The tournament, which is now in its 54th year, will see the teams made up of one professional and three amateurs battle it out over five straight rounds at Riddell’s Bay, Tucker’s Point, Mid-Ocean, Belmont Hills and Port Royal starting on December 4.
While most of the competing teams are from overseas — including the US, Canada, and Europe — all local golf clubs will also be competing for both the net and gross division title.
There is also a separate competition for the professional players — who will include American defending champion Keir Smith as well as recently-crowned Bermuda Open winner Tim Conley — which is played under a stableford format for a purse of $21,000.
The event’s ability to attract such a large contingent of overseas players is widely regarded as a huge fillip for local tourism and the “golfing product” that the Department of Tourism in particular are so keen to develop.
And Goodwill tournament director Alex Madeiros said it has taken an enormous amount of effort to restore the event’s global profile after a slight malaise following September 11.
“When we took it over in 2001, there were just about 80 teams and the vision really was to make it bigger and better than that,” he said.
“It’s a terrific event and brings hundreds of tourists here at a time of year when tourism is relatively quiet. It has taken a little bit of time to grow it to the level it is now, but it definitely helps being in the golf business because we’ve been able to use the contacts in the States and elsewhere to make people aware of the tournament.
“We’re extremely excited about the numbers this year and looking ahead we may have to cap it at around 120 teams otherwise it could just get a bit too much.
“But we knew with some hard work and the right contacts that we could make the Goodwill great once again and we’re all looking forward to it getting under way next month.”
