defending champion Mike Donald, are among the early leaders after the first round of the $50,000 Bermuda Open.

But it was an Island pro, a club pro from Pennsylvania and another American who has been playing on the South African tour who occupy the top three spots after six players shot under 70 yesterday on the par 71 Port Royal course.

Andrew Pitts of North Carolina shot a 66 to lead by two strokes over Bermudian Dwayne Pearman and first-time participant Roy Vucinich. Gary Winter of England, American Adam Armagost and Dan Halldorson of Canada all carded 69s.

"Fortunately I drove the ball really well and kept it in play all day,'' said Pitts, who has been playing in South Africa for four years and had a couple of runner-up finishes on the PGA tour there in 1994 as well as another in Zimbabwe.

"The wind didn't blow today and the conditions were probably as easy as they will get out here.'' Pitts was one under on the front nine and added four birdies on the back nine to post the day's best score.

Vucinich, the pro at Allegheny Country Club in Sewickley, made a grand entry into the Bermuda Open, hitting three birdies and two bogeys on the front nine and three more birdies and a bogey six on number 17 on the back nine.

"I was four under going to 17 and knocked it on in two but at the very front of the green, about 80 to 90 feet from the pin,'' Vucinich explained afterwards.

"Then I hit it seven or eight feet by and then coming downhill, which was the fast side, I knocked it about five feet by so I four-putted.'' That bad hole cost Vucinich a stroke or two, but otherwise he was pleased with his opening round.

"If I had made two putts for birdie that's the difference of a couple of shots right there,'' he pointed out.

It was in the second round last year that Donald made his move with a sizzling 65 to take a two stroke lead. Yesterday's scores have set the stage for plenty of excitement today as a host of outstanding players are bunched near the top, including another local, Kim Swan on 73.

"I'll take one round at a time,'' Vucinich said. "There are a lot of holes and a lot depends on the weather, but with the good players like (Billy) Andrade and Mike Donald the scores will be good.'' Both defending champion Donald and hot favourite Andrade agree that consistent golf will be the key.

"I've got to play steady, last year I played bad on the last day and still won,'' Donald explained.

"If you shoot three consistent rounds and then throw one good score in you are in pretty good shape,'' said Donald, whose round of 71 yesterday included two birdies and a bogey on the front nine.

He almost blew it on the 11th with a triple bogey seven and then another bogey on the 12th, before birdies on 13, 14 and 17 put some respectability to his round. "It could have been 75 or 76 but with 71 I'm in pretty good shape,'' he said.

Andrade's 70 kept him in the hunt for the $12,000 first prize. He did a good deed on Tuesday by donating his $200 cheque from the pro-am tournament to the Bermuda Junior Golf Association.

"Being one of the favourites is nice but you still have to go out and play well,'' said Andrade.

"I'm still a little uncertain about the golf course, this being only my second time. I felt fortunate to shoot what I shot today.'' Leading amateurs are Bermudian trio Howard DeSilva, Blake Marshall and former winner Hav Trott who all had fine rounds of 74.

HOT SHOTS -- One of Bermuda's top golfers, Robert Vallis (top), had a rough day during the first round of the $50,000 Bermuda Open yesterday. But Billy Andrade (above) was one of the six players to break 70 at Port Royal.