After six years in the wilderness, former PGA tour player and St.George?s professional Kim Swan made his competitive comeback yesterday at the BPGA Fritz Reiter/Lobster Pot Matchplay Championships at Belmont Hills.

And after shooting 81 and finishing ninth in a field of 13 on the first day of competition to determine the seedings for the matchplay element of the event, which starts today, the UBP Senator said his expectations are ?only fairly modest? after so long on the sidelines.

?It?s nice to be out playing again, even if I was feeling a little apprehensive about it to start with,? he said.

?I?ve been making some adjustments to my swing recently and so I was actually seven-over through the first six holes. But even though I didn?t make any birdies I just told myself to swing nice and smoothly like I used to and I became a lot steadier on the back nine.?

Swan, who revealed that he was using the political recess of the summer to ?reconnect? with the game he loves, also said it would take him some time to recover the ?feel? for his shots, particularly around the greens.

?It is your feel which deserts you when you have been away from the game for such a long time,? he said.

?But my expectations for this tournament are fairly low and I?m just going to try and get myself ready mentally for playing competitive golf again. This tournament, because it is matchplay seemed the ideal place to connect myself back to the game and I really enjoyed it. I?m definitely going to enter the Bermuda Open this year so now it?s all about getting my game ready for that.?

Meanwhile, the Senate Opposition leader had some words of encouragement for young Bermudian pro Michael Sims ? currently plying his trade on the Hooters Tour in the US ? who he believes has what it takes to become a full time PGA Tour competitor.

?After watching him play at the World Cup last year, I have to say that I was enormously impressed with Michael,? he said.

?He has a game of grade A quality and I think he is capable of winning tournaments on the PGA tour. It is just a matter of staying the course and keeping focused on what he has to do and where he wants his career to go.

?If I had any advice to give him at present, I would tell him to surround himself firstly with people who putt well and also those with a positive outlook on the game and life in general.

?There are so many obstacles in golf, both mentally and on the course, so it is important that he does not let his mind become cluttered with any negative thoughts. But I?m pretty sure that if he keeps working away, he has the game to make it.?

Meanwhile tournament chairman Dwayne Gibson secured the top seeding position yesterday with a 71, two shots clear of his nearest challenger, Belmont Hills professional Brian Morris.

The first round of matchplay begins today with the top three seeds ? Gibson, Morris and Derrick Douglas ? all receiving a bye.

The event this year, which runs until Saturday, has been named in memory of Fritz Reiter, one of the local game?s biggest supporters who passed away just over a year ago.

Loved by many, Reiter was instrumental in the Lobster Pot Pro-Am which was once the Island?s biggest tournament and was an avid golfer himself.

All proceeds from the week?s play will be used to establish the Fritz Reiter Scholarship Fund while the pros themselves will be competing for a $5,000 purse.

And Gibson encouraged the public to come out over the course of the week and support Bermuda?s professionals.

?We have a great field for the first year and there should be some exciting matches,? he said.

?Any of these guys could win it. Match play is a funny game and anything is possible.?