Professional golf rookie Michael Sims, Bermuda's 23-year-old sensation, begins play today in his first appearance on the PGA Tour's Buy.com Tour.

Sims, who has previously won only $887.50 in an NGA/Hooter's Tour event earlier this month, will compete for a share of his largest purse ever - $525,000 - in the second annual BMW Charity Pro-Am at The Cliffs near Greenville, South Carolina. The winner's share of the 72-hole celebrity pro-am event is $94,500.

After failing to qualify for last week's Buy.com Tour event in Arkansas, Sims led a field of 120 hopeful qualifiers by shooting 63 at the Verdae Greens Golf Club in Greenville.

"I was definitely in a zone," said Sims, who finished the one-round qualifier two-shots ahead of his nearest competitor.

Seven players qualified at Verdae Greens.

Like the PGA Tour's Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, the format for the BMW Charity Pro-Am at the Cliffs pairs professional players with an amateur or a celebrity for a concurrent best-ball competition. A cut will be made after 36 holes.

Amateurs and celebrities will finish their pro-am contest on Saturday, leaving the professionals alone to complete the final round on Sunday.

Sims' chances in this premier Buy.com Tour event may have been further enhanced by the draw of his celebrity partner, Ben Wright. Wright, 69, lives in the Greenville area and designed the 7,023-yard Cliffs Valley Country Club, host course for the tournament.

"I'm delighted to have the opportunity to play with Michael. Without getting in his way, I am going to do all that I can to help him understand the design of the course and, if he likes, help him read the greens," said Wright, who opened the popular course, which rises and falls in a Valley between picturesque green mountains near the North Carolina border.

"Michael and I are referring to our partnership this week as `Team Bermuda,'" said Wright, a frequent visitor to Bermuda for over 30 years and a member at Mid-Ocean Club, where Sims shot the course record of 62 and became Bermuda's Golfer of the Year. "What Michael did at Mid-Ocean was absolutely astounding. That is a difficult course made even harder by mean and tough ocean winds. And what he did in the North and South Amateur Tournament was quite an accomplishment."

Sims, a 2001 graduate from the University of Rhode Island, won the prestigious 2001 title last summer by beating top-ranked amateur Bryce Molder in a 38-hole final match at Pinehurst CC in North Carolina.

Sims will face Molder again this week in the BMW Charity Pro-Am at the Cliffs.

Molder turned professional late last summer at the PGA Tour's Reno Tahoe Open. He finished third in that debut, and is currently in the fourth position on the Buy.com Tour money list.

Sims, having failed to qualify for status on the PGA Tour, is left to battle his way through weekly qualifiers to gain entry into tournament fields.

Success on the Buy.com Tour is a viable way for Sims to make it big, since the top 15 money winners at the end of the season gain PGA Tour playing status for one year.

The Buy.com Tour also offers what is called a "battlefield promotion," meaning three Buy.com Tour wins in a season automatically elevates a player to the PGA Tour.

Success for Sims this week will mean not only competing against rival Molder, but also against some experienced former PGA Tour players that inhabit the field such as Chip Beck, Stan Utley, Scott Gump, Larry Rinker, Gary Hallberg, and Dave Stockton Jr.

The colourful celebrity field, featuring actors, music stars, and sports stars, might also have served as a distracting hurdle were it not for Sims' partner Wright, who has both golf and celebrity experience.

Wright has observed professional golf worldwide as a journalist and award winning television commentator for over 45 years, having worked for the BBC, ITV, CBS, and the Financial Times.

Upon hearing the news of Sims qualifying success, his father Bruce Sims and Bermudian Ed Rego flew to South Carolina to be on hand.

Bermudians Norman and Sarita Frith will also be in attendance to observe "Team Bermuda," which begins play today at 9.15 a.m. (Bermuda time) on The Cliffs Keowee Vineyards course.

Sims will play his second round and remaining rounds should he make the cut, on Wright's course, Cliffs Valley.

The Golf Channel will televise the BMW Charity Pro-Am at The Cliffs today and Friday from 2.30-5 pm; Saturday and Sunday from 1.30-4 pm (Bermuda time).