Michael Sims blitzed the field at the Bermuda Open over the weekend to notch up an historic win ? and a tournament record score.

Bermuda?s own Tiger Woods, who finished with a 65 to card 12-under par for the tournament, claimed the $7,500 first prize at Port Royal yesterday by a clear five strokes over fellow countryman Dwayne Pearman.

The 26-year-old, who joins Pearman as both an amateur and a pro winner of the Island?s flagship event, made up for some Saturday wobbles with the putter to shoot a commanding six-under par in the final round and never looked in danger of giving up the lead he had developed with a course record 64 on day one.

The youngster, popping the odd Tylenol to keep the pain of his long-term back injury away, beat out an impressive field of pro Nationwide and Canadian Tour players to seal his first tournament win for a year ? and the first he has been paid for in two years.

The winning purse was the largest of his career that he will actually receive ? the $25,000 first prize he earned last year on the Maverick Tour was never paid ? and was the perfect confidence booster ahead of PGA Q School which begins in Houston in eight days.

?Any win is fantastic but you can?t get much better than winning your home nation?s Open,? said Sims, after kisses from his family, friends and well-wishers ? and plenty of repetitions of the phrase ?good luck in Q School, I?ll be looking out for your name? from visiting pros and amateurs.

?There was a pretty good field of guys playing with some very good credentials. A lot of them are where I want to be and a lot of them are where I am going to.

?But you can?t think about that, you have to think about yourself and your own game when you?re playing.?

Sims entered Saturday?s blustery third round five shots clear but some ?horrible putting? saw him card a 75 which was still good enough for a three-shot lead going into yesterday?s final round as only one player, Dennis Hendershott, broke par in the wild, gusty conditions.

But Sims had no problems with his putter on any other part of his game on his bogey-free final round where no one came closer than three shots and he asserted his dominance with his booming, straight drives and solid work on and around the greens.

With Sims two-under after the opening nine, Canadian Tour pro and perennial Bermuda visitor Ian Doig made his move from third place at even par to joint second with birdies on seven and nine but Sims opened up daylight again on the back nine, picking up birdies on 11 and 13, where Pearman bogeyed, to leave the lead at an unassailable five.

Back-to-back birdies on 17 and 18 provided the perfect finish for Sims, whose victory was greeted with loud applause by the home faithful delighted to see one of their own doing so well.

?Of course it?s a nice time to win with Q School coming up but I wasn?t really in need of a confidence boost because I have been hitting the ball well and my confidence has been pretty high anyway,? continued Sims.

?I always go into any golf game confident and looking to do well and this will be no different.?

Sims was the recipient of plenty of praise from other competitors yesterday particularly Nations Cup partner Pearman, whose brilliant, scrambling up and down at 18 kept Doig in third to complete the Bermuda one-two.

?He?s good, real good,? said Pearman, who picked up $4,500 for his efforts.

?I?m pretty sure he?s going to make it onto the PGA Tour sometime soon. He?s good enough, that?s for sure. I think he will make it and he will make it soon, but the kid?s got time on his side.

?He has one of the nicest golf swings I?ve seen and he really hits the ball long and straight. He has the right attitude and the right game to make it in this sport.?

Triple winner of the event and defending champion PH Horgan III never recovered fully from his opening round 73, finishing one-over for the tournament and picking up sixth place, one ahead of Tucker?s Point pro Andrew Trott.

Former touring pro Kim Swan finished in tenth at eight over with Chris Smith in 12th.

In the amateur section, Leroy Burch reclaimed his title with another final day comeback, shooting 73 to snatch victory away again from Dave Allison whose final day 80 was enough of a collapse to leave him two shots behind and 18th overall.

But all the talk was about Sims, his course record on opening day, his tournament record over four days and whether, after quite a few years without one, Bermuda is about to have a PGA player once again.