HAVANA, Cuba.- The Fourth Montecristo Golf Cup has been scheduled for March 19-21 at the Golf Course of the Varadero tourist resort in the central Cuban province of Matanzas.

The organizers of the event, which was first held in 2009, announced that the competition will take place with the participation of amateur players from several countries.

The vice-president of the organizing committee, Guillermo Gutierrez, said in a press conference that the contest will include three categories: two in men’s and one in women’s.

This year, the organizers will try to take advantage of the proximity to the U.S. Open —the second major golf tournament of the season— to attract renowned players from that country.

The almost 50-year-old U.S. economic blockade of Cuba hinders the participation of golf experts from that North American nation in this contest as it happened last year when, out of 32 players who expressed their interest in attending the tournament, only one was able to travel to Cuba through a third nation.