After repeated frustration recently, golfer Michael Sims finally had a reason to smile as he won his first tournament as a professional.

The Bermudian pocketed the $5,000 first prize in the Atlantic Coast Golf Tour event at Red River Country Club in the USA on Thursday. Successive rounds of 65-69-67 swept him to a five-shot victory as he carded 15-under 201 for the 54-hole tournament.

Playing in Raleigh, North Carolina, Sims broke out of a trio of golfers who were tied for the lead heading into the final round. His nearest challenger was Matt Cannon who finished at ten-under 206. There were 41 golfers competing.

The Tour's website hailed the 24-year-old's success as being "even more impressive as players fought rain and unseasonably cool temperatures for most of the final round".

"It rained all day and the conditions were pretty soggy. I don't even know if they cut the greens," said Sims, speaking to The Royal Gazette. "I managed pretty good and it's given me a lot of confidence. There's a lot of good guys playing it."

This outcome is a good fillip as Sims prepares to embark on the Golden Bear Tour next month. He is optimistic it will be a bright summer and that he will be able to forget recent setbacks.

"I've been doing the Nationwide qualifiers (formerly Buy.Com) and I have not been very successful so I've played two Maverick Tour events in Arkansas and then two Atlantic Coast events; one last week and now this one. I missed making money last week by about five shots.

"I also played in the US Open qualifier and shot 68 and missed the play-off by one (shot). It was very frustrating. I've had a little rough patch here."

Sims has been working to improve his swing with a new coach, Mark Wood, but still consults his old coach Steve Napoli frequently.

"Overall things feel pretty good. A couple of good weeks could take care of everything. I'm looking forward to playing this Tour (Golden Bear). I've been playing well lately - just need to get the ball in the hole faster."