DESPITE this week's rain, everything is set for an extremely competitive golfing weekend at Royal Westmoreland.

The three-day Beacon Barbados Open will be showcasing several scratch golfers, with overseas entrants coming from the United States, Ireland, St Kitts and Nevis and Trinidad and Tobago represented by Carlos "Sexy" Baynes, the Trinidad and Tobago Hoerman Cup player.

President of the Barbados Golf Association Birchmore Griffith said the greens were fast and the course as a whole was in excellent condition.

He noted that the weather was holding up and rain was not allowed to settle because of the quality drainage system.

"There are several low-handicap golfers this year and I am anticipating an extremely competitive Open," he said.

After Trevor Levine's maiden victory last year, Barbadian fans will be hoping for the cream of the local crop to rise to the top.

Levine fought back from two strokes behind junior Sean Edey on the final day last year to win his first Open on home soil.

The recent winner of the St Kitts Open, Levine was due to arrive Thursday for a warm-up on the course.

Carlos "Sexy" Baynes, the Trinidad and Tobago Hoerman Cup player, is returning, and so is Irishman David Houlihan.

Another scratch golfer, Zac Amandor from Texas, will be making his first bid.

The three Barbadians to follow might well be James Johnson, a former Open champion; Carlsen Leacock, who is extremely familiar with the course; and Edey, who played really well last year to challenge his seniors.

Leacock put in some early practice prior to yesterday's official warm-up day and has given the course a solid mark for its preparation.

The women's championship flight will feature the return of Rae "Muffin" Johnson, who has also been studying and playing in the US.

Her performance and that of junior Jaime Hole, a national representative, should hold attention.

The men's first flight for handicaps of between 10 and 18 again promises to hold considerable interest.