Bermuda’s Michael Sims set the Kooyonga Golf Club course ablaze during yesterday’s opening round of the $600,000 Jacob’s Creek Open currently underway Down Under.

Sims shot a sizzling five-under-par 67 to leave himself ideally placed in a tie for fifth along with Americans Mike Capone and Joe Daley to greatly bolster his own chances of making today’s cut at the Nationwide Tour event.

The 28-year-old Belmont Hills touring pro produced a near flawless performance on his trip around the 6,794 yard, par 72 layout in Adelaide, carding six birdies — four of them on the front nine — to make the turn at an impressive four-under.

Sims, who turned pro in 2002, then birdied the par-four 12th hole to move to five-under, but then dropped a shot when he bogeyed the par-three 15th.

But another birdie on the final hole enabled the Bermudian to finish the day on a very positive note and only three shots adrift of leader and local favourite David Lutterus who carded a scorching 64.

With Sims firmly in the driver’s seat to make his first Nationwide cut of the season, Belmont Hills club pro Dwayne Gibson believes the Bermudian’s game will only improve as the year progresses. “I think he will get into the PGA which can only bode well for Bermuda golf and Belmont as well,” Gibson said.

“And it’s only a matter of time because he has been playing very well lately. In the last tournament he played (the Colombia Masters) he only messed up on the back nine.”

Sims led the field by two shots at the start of the final round of the Tour De Las Americas event. But a final round score of three-over saw him finish only two strokes shy of qualifying for the championship-deciding playoff involving Italian Edoardo Molinari and Colombian Gustavo Mendoza.

“He messed up on the last day, but that’s pressure,” Gibson added.

Meanwhile, local favourite Lutterus (64), who eagled the par four 18th hole, leads the field Down Under by two shots from Americans Brad Ott and Chris Nallen and compatriot Brett Rumford going into today’s second round. Sims, who received an Achievement Award during Government’s Annual Sports Award ceremony last night, earned a year’s exemption on the Nationwide Tour last November after qualifying at the PGA Tour Q School in La Quinta, California.

[bul] Kim Swan’s bid to qualify for the European Senior’s Tour got off to a solid start in Florida last week.

Armed with a sizzling putter, the UBP senator rebounded after incurring two penalty strokes early during the final round by carding a four-under-par 68 to grab a share of top honours along with local favourite Dirk Klapprott from Florida.