VICTORIA, British Columbia -- Bermuda could host an event on the Canadian professional golfing tour as early as next August, Canadian Tour commissioner Bob Beauchemin said yesterday.

Beauchemin met with Department of Tourism officials in Bermuda two weeks ago at the invitation of St. George's Golf Club professional Kim Swan, who first broached the tournament idea with Beauchemin while playing three events on the Canadian tour this summer. Tourism has told Beauchemin it will decide by mid-November whether to hold the tournament.

Should it go ahead, the tournament would be the first Tour event held outside Canada. This year, the Tour had 14 tournaments offering a total of $1.5 million in prize money.

"Funding is the key element,'' Beauchemin said. "It would have to be funded from within Bermuda. Our prize money minimum on the Tour is $100,000, but to attract a strong field to Bermuda the prize money should be $125,000 to 150,000. Then it would cost another $200,000 to co-ordinate, operate and promote the tournament.

"That's the high end -- it depends how resourceful you are, and how many different elements get involved to make it happen. And we can help from this end by helping with various sponsors from Canada who have a reason for promoting Bermuda.'' Beauchemin said much will depend on the support Tourism officials get from Bermuda's private sector.

"If they can get some significant support from the business sector in Bermuda, they can get it done,'' Beauchemin said. "If not, and the government had to underwrite the tournament totally, I think it would be difficult to justify.

"But we would absolutely love to come to Bermuda. We've never played a tournament outside Canada -- we've never had the opportunity. But it seems to be a popular trend. The European tour plays a tournament in Asia, as does the Australian tour. There's no reason why we couldn't utilise our expertise running tournaments here to run a tournament in Bermuda.'' Beauchemin said Port Royal would likely be the site for the tournament.

"Right now, it's just a concept but it would make sense to play it on a government course if what you want to do is promote tourism,'' said Beauchemin, who just recently played on the course in the Bermuda Open.

"A lot of people don't realise how pretty and how good the golf courses are in Bermuda. Port Royal is gorgeous, and very difficult, too. And the 16th is one of the most spectacular holes in the world.'' Swan, who flew to Jamaica on Sunday to play in that country's Open tournament, said a Canadian Tour event would provide Bermuda with a lucrative marketing opportunity as well as bringing some first-class golfers to the island.

"Canada is a huge market for us, and we really need to target the golfers there and get them down here to play,'' Swan said. "Bob is sold on Bermuda.

We've made the connection -- we've got to follow up now and make it happen.'' Beauchemin said Swan will be a key player if the tournament goes ahead. "Kim is the guy who can bring it all together,'' Beauchemin said. "We'd rely heavily on him to be the tournament director. He knows the pros, the sponsors, the organising needs for a tournament like this.'' The Canadian Tour was established in 1982. It has grown considerably during Beauchemin's seven years as commissioner, and now has its own marketing firm, Golf Strategies. The company produces a weekly half-hour programme about the Tour, which highlights the previous week's tournament and is aired three times a week on The Sports Network, the all-sports cable channel seen across Canada.

It is the kind of exposure Swan says will benefit Bermuda. "Getting a $100,000 or $150,000 Canadian event makes more sense than waiting around for the PGA or Senior Tour to discover Bermuda,'' he said. "Play on the Canadian tour is of a very high calibre, and the exposure in Canada would be great for Bermuda.'' The Canadian Tour attracts an international field of golfers. Many are former US collegians hoping to some day play on the PGA Tour, while other regulars on the tour hail from Australia, New Zealand, England, Mexico and Venezuela.

Current PGA Tour regulars Billy Ray Brown and Kirk Triplett played on the Canadian Tour just three years ago.

KIM SWAN -- At the centre of talks.