lapse in concentration cost Kim Swan dearly yesterday in the first round of the Canadian tour's $100,000 Payless Open here at Royal Colwood Golf Course.

After making the turn at one over par, Swan struggled in with an eight over 78. He is in 140th place entering today's second round of play, 11 shots behind four players who share the lead aftter rounds of 67 yesterday.

The top 60 players plus ties after today's round will survive the 36 hole cut.

With a steady rain falling, Swan carded seven pars, one birdie and a double bogey on the front nine yesterday. But he left the 13th green seven over after double bogeying the 10th, bogeying the 11th and triple bogeying the 420 yard par four 12th. He three-putted each hole.

"I went from one over to seven over in three holes and didn't lose a ball,'' Swan lamented. "I hit every shot, and that's a sign I was making mental errors. I'll have to tidy up my scrambling and tidy up my concentration for the second round.'' Swan's undoing began with his second shot on the 422-yard 10th hole. A fine drive down the middle left him 162 yards to a flag cut four yards from the left side of the green. Instead of hitting to the heart of the putting surface, swan hit the ball at the stick and wound up in the bunker left of the green. His sand shot went 25 feet past the hole, and he three-putted.

"I just got greedy,'' he said later. "It was a mental error -- I went straight at the stick instead of being more conservative. I was one over par and looking to get back to even.'' Swan followed with a three-putt on the 210-yard 11th hole, and then blew up with a seven on the next hole after hitting a three-wood into the trees off the tee. He reached the green in four and three-putted.

"The only hole where I hit it bad from tee to green was the 12th,'' he said.

"Concentration was the problem there and you just can't make mental errors at this level. After that triple bogey, I played pretty steady. I played the last six holes in one over.'' Swan was unfortunate not to shave a stroke off his score at the 17th hole as he lipped out a 10-foot attempt for a birdie. Those putts, and more, must fall today if he is to survive to play the final two rounds of the tournament on the weekend.

"I was being overly aggressive on the greens today,'' Swan said. "When I was content just to get the ball to the hole I was alright. But when I really tried to make a putt I ended up three-putting. All my three-putts came when I was scrambling to make the first putt. You can't keep leaving yourself five-foot comebackers all day.'' Swan knows he must shoot under par today to make the cut. But that's not impossible. He carded a one-under 69 in Wednesday's Pro-Am to finish one shot out of the money. That round included five birdies, an eagle and six bogeys.

"I'm going to have to shoot two or three under to make the cut,'' he said.

"But at least I know I can do it here. I like the golf course, and I feel I can play it under par.'' Tim Balmer, the 1990 Bermuda Open winner, shot a 71 yesterday and is tied for 33rd spot.

Toronto Mapleleaf goalkeeper Grant Fuhr, who failed two weeks ago in his bid to earn a Canadian tour card, shot a 76 after gaining a sponsor's exemption to play in the tournament. He is in 124th place.