the first day of the World Cup qualifying tournament in Jamaica yesterday.

The pair finished the opening round of the 54-hole competition at the Runaway Bay Golf Club with a combined two-under-par score which placed them fifth on the leaderboard out of 23 countries from the Caribbean and South American region.

Ocean View professional Pearman's two-under-par round of 69 included an an eagle three at the ninth, as well as two birdies and two bogeys.

Bean, the pro at Belmont, produced a storming back nine to finish on level par, after being four-over after eight holes.

The pair need to finish in the top five to qualify for the World Cup in Malaysia in November.

Pearman said: "I think we played pretty well. The greens were a little bit rough and it was quite breezy and only six teams finished under par, so we're pleased.'' Bean said: "We started off on the back nine and and we struggled a bit at the start, playing long into the wind.

"I think we've got a decent chance to qualify now, but we've got to keep on scoring well.'' The tournament continues today and tomorrow.

Dwayne Pearman: an eagle and two birdies in his opening World Cup qualifying round of 69 at Runaway Bay in Jamaica.