Hampshire's PGA have announced that the forthcoming overseas tour will be their most popular to date.

The 2002 Costa Azul Pro-Am Tournament, organised in association with Serenity Golf, takes place in Portugal next March and has attracted entries from a record 23 teams.

Hampshire PGA Secretary David Wheeler said: "We had originally budgeted for a maximum of 20 teams but the response has been so good that we have had to increase it to 23.

"Having just returned from a week on the Costa Azul, I am sure the competitors will enjoy the Pro-Am. We will be staying in the town of Sesimbra, 30 miles south of Lisbon and the itinerary includes courses of the calibre of Triora, designed by Robert Trent Jones, and Aroeira."

Taking teams to the event will be, among others, Scott Watson, Richard Berry, Jon le Roux, Kevin Saunders, Jason Neve, John Hay, Ian Roper and Gary Stubbington.

They will all be contesting the individual title as well as hoping to drive their amateur team to victory in the event.