VICTORIA, B.C. -- A seven-stroke improvement in his putting game helped Kim Swan to a confidence-boosting one-over-par 71 yesterday in the second round of the $100,000 Payless Open here at Royal Colwood GC.

Swan's 36-hole score of 149 was not good enough to make the cut of 144. But the round reinforced Swan's feeling that he can be competitive on the Canadian tour if only he can eliminate the mental errors that led to Thursday's opening-round 78.

Yesterday, after pars on the day's opening two holes, Swan carded a double-bogey six on number three. But he shook it off well, and played the next 15 holes one under par -- including a birdie at the 152-yard, par-three 13th for the third consecutive day and anothrer birdie on the 160-yard sixth hole.

He finished with 14 pars, two birdies, a bogey and a double-bogey on number three. Swan hit 12 of 14 fairways and reached 11 greens in regulation. He had six one-putts and only one three-putt -- after five on Thursday -- as he took 31 putts over the 18 holes.

"That was a nice, solid round, the type of round that gives you some confidence,'' he said. "Today, that bad hole could have destroyed me, coming as early as it did. But when you have a bad patch, you have to shake it off. I was able to do that today.'' Swan figured he needed to shoot a 66 or 67 yesterday if he hoped to join the top 60 players and ties who qualified for weekend play. But he did not carelessly pursue the score he needed.

"My strategy was to try to play under par, but not to be reckless,'' he said.

"I played it like any other day because you never know when you're going to make eight birdies and when you're going to make one.'' Swan will not soon forget the 423-yard hole on which he made double-bogey yesterday and triple-bogey on Thursday. "I lost five shots to par on that hole and didn't lose a ball,'' he said. "I kept the ball in play all week but that hole had my number.'' Yesterday, Swan followed a perfect drive with an iron that wound up in the left rough. A treacherous chip to a pin perched on the top of a crest on the green rolled past the flag and off the other side. Swan putted off the fringe to within four feet, and then missed for his only three-putt of the day.

He birdied number six with a fine read on a curling 15-footer, and finished the front nine in 36, one over par.

A bogey on the par-four 12th after his first missed fairway of the day was countered with a birdie a hole later before an appreciative gallery in front of the clubhouse.

Swan parred in the last five holes, including a fine up-and-down at the par-five 14th.

The 34-year-old St. George's GC pro will practise today before heading to Vancouver for next week's second stop on the $1.4 million Canadian tour. Then it is home to Bermuda for a month before picking up the tour at the CPGA Championship in Saskatchewan.

Former Bermuda Open winner Tim Balmer had an even-par 70 yesterday and is at 141, seven shots behind leader Dave DeLong of California. Four players are two shots back.

KIM SWAN -- One-over 71 yesterday.