Bermuda's Michael Sims had a topsy turvy opening round at the New Zealand Open yesterday at the Hills Golf Club outside of Queenstown on the South Island.

Teeing off on the back nine first, Sims struggled to a three-over 39 before making the turn.

Although he went one-under at the 11th when he birdied the par-four hole, he then bogied the par four 14th and then followed that up with another bogey on the par-four 15th. The Bermudian pro did more damage to his round when he double bogeyed the par three 16th.

But he managed to get it together on the second nine when he came out charging, carding four birdies and only one bogey.

He birdied the opening par-five hole but gave a shot back on the par-four second hole. He birdied the par-four third hole and also birdied the par-four fifth as well as the par-four sixth.

The New Zealand Open is 2010's first tournament on the Nationwide Tour.

Leading the tournament are New Zealand's David Smail and the late-charging American Robert Gates and Aussie Andrew Dodt who all fired seven-under-par 65s.

Trailing the leaders by a shot are another American DJ Brigman and Australian Andrew Bonhomme.

The opening round was played in near perfect conditions.

While local boy Smail managed to hit nearly all the fairways and was second in greens-in-regulation, it was his 27 putts that he was most pleased with. The 39-year-old Smail opened with two birdies and made two more before making the turn.

Smail is a two-time winner on the PGA Tour of Australasia and plays regularly on the Japan Golf Tour where he has an additional three victories. He competed in three of last year's majors, the US Open, British Open and PGA Championship. He won the New Zealand Open in 2001 in Auckland.

This 156-player event is co-sanctioned by the Nationwide Tour and PGA Tour of Australasia, with the field split evenly between the two tours. Alex Prugh won last year's Open. Prugh finished fifth on Monday in the PGA Tour's Bob Hope Classic in his second start since earning his PGA Tour card.

The New Zealand Open is the country's oldest championship dating back to 1907.

A total of 21 players are within three shots of the lead.

Former PGA Tour player and one of the biggest names in the tournament, American Jason Gore, rode golf's roller coaster yesterday. Starting on the back nine, he shot a four-over-par 40. He turned things around dramatically on the front nine with six straight birdies before closing out his round of 70 with three pars.