former winners Joe Carr and Tim Conley when the annual Belmont Invitational Golf Championships get underway on Monday.

A capacity field of 120, including 35 professionals who will be chasing a cash purse of $20,000, have signed up for the popular tournament.

But the focus is again likely to be on Marello, Carr and Conley, who dominated last year's proceedings.

Veteran Carr surged into the early lead with an opening round of five-under-par 65, but it was Marello's final round of 68 which clinched the title after he, Carr and Conley had entered the last day separated by just a couple of shots.

Marello picked up his first Belmont title with a 72-hole total of 274 while Carr and Conley finished joint second on 280. A further eight strokes back in fourth place was another American, Paul Parajeckas who will again return this year.

Heading the local challenge will be Kim Swan and the formidable home course trio of Dwayne Pearman, Cornell Bean and Barry DeCouto.

DeCouto, in particular, will be keen to impress as he enters his favourite local competition for the first time as a professional, having relinquished his amateur status earlier this year when he teamed up with Bean to run the Belmont golf shop and bar.

This year's amateur division, meanwhile, appears wide open as neither former winner Scott Mayne, Robert Vallis nor Henry Ascento will be in the field.

Mayne and Ascento have both cited work commitments as reason for their absence.

Ocean View manager Bill Pitt, who recently accompanied Ascento to the Simon Bolivar tournament in Caracas, Venezuela, is expected to be one of the favourites in the amateur division along with Dave Purcell, Tim Carr, Belmont member Nick Mansell and return visitor Ronnie Milton.

Challenging for the senior amateur title will be the likes of Eldon Raynor, Noel Van Putten, Howard DeSilva and Sam Murray.

The main event runs from Monday to Thursday with a Junior Golf fund-raiser planned for this Saturday and a four-ball, best two-ball Pro-Am scheduled for Sunday.