Bermuda golfer Michael Sims got off to a superb start in the prestigious US Amateur Championships in Atlanta, Georgia, yesterday when he fired a one-under par 69 in the opening round.

That left the 22-year-old Rhode Island University student in a tie for 31st as he seeks a top 64 place in order to qualify for the matchplay phase which begins tomorrow.

The tournament is arguably the toughest amateur event in the world with previous winners including the likes of Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Phil Mickelson, Mark O'Meara and Bobby Jones.

Sims' first round yesterday was at the 7,007-yard, par-70 East Lakes Country Club where South Carolina's Robert Godfrey tied the course record with a stunning seven-under-par 63.

But with the opening two qualifying rounds being played on separate courses, even that wasn't good enough for the overall lead.

At nearby Druids Hill Golf Club, a 6,561-yard par-72 lay-out, American Lucas Glover went eight under par with a brilliant 64.

It's at Druids Hill where Sims will today hope to cement his place in the match play phase when he will be among this morning's early starters.

Another sub-par round would virtually guarantee his place in the last 64 from a field which features 312 of the world's best amateur players.

Sims was among a bunch of 20 who ended yesterday at one under par. And there were another 11 players at two-under.

This year's field includes seven of last year's eight quarter-finalists, including defending champion Jeff Quinney of Eugene, Oregon, and James Driscoll of Brookline, Massachusetts, the man Quinney beat in last year's final, which went to three holes of sudden death.

Sims is believed to be the first Bermudian to qualify for a US Amateur in more than 25 years. He booked his ticket last month by finishing second among a field of 94 in a 36-hole qualifying event at Crestwood Country Club in Providence, Rhode Island.

Earlier this year the young Bermudian won both the North/South Amateur Championships at Pinehurst and the Players' Amateur at Belfair, and also smashed the course record at Bermuda's Mid Ocean Club with an incredible round of 62.