Dwayne Pearman, the Port Royal Golf Course head professional, claimed victory in the individual division at the Aruba International Pro-Am Tournament at the Tierra del Sol Resort & Country Club.

Pearman, who teamed up with three amateurs in the Pro-Am competition, was the top professional player, shooting a three under par at last week’s 36-hole two-day tournament.

He said that he was slightly surprised to win the professional division considering he had taken a break from the game.

“I’ve been hitting the ball OK and felt comfortable, although I recently had a break from the game,” said Pearman, who beat a field of about 30 professionals.

“I haven’t been putting that well of late and I still need to get that part of my game in shape.

“If my putting had been better in Aruba, then I could have got my score a lot lower.”

Pearman, a former Bermuda Open champion, admitted that he was surprised that his three under par was good enough to claim honours.

“I’ve played in this tournament three or four times and usually the scores are really low, with the pros shooting an eight or nine under,” Pearman said.

“I was actually surprised that my three under par was enough to win the tournament.”

Designed by the renowned Robert Trent Jones II — the architect behind Port Royal — the Tierra del Sol, situated on the north-west point of Aruba, is the island’s only 18-hole championship course.