Bermuda?s selection process for the World Amateur Strokeplay Championships in South Africa has become embroiled in controversy only three days after the conclusion of the final qualifying event.understands that several local players are upset about the inclusion in the three-man team of Bermudian William Haddrell ? who attends university in America and has not lived on the Island for years ? while it also emerged yesterday that David Smith could be thrown off the team following his disruptive behaviour during the final round of the Bermuda Amateur Strokeplay Championships at Port Royal on Sunday.

After triple bogeying the 15th to squander a two-shot lead over eventual winner Robert Vallis, Smith knocked his tee shot at the par-three 16th into the ocean before then hurling his club over the side of the cliff and swearing loudly and repeatedly in a dramatic fit of rage.

Bermuda Golf Association president Bob Legere, who witnessed the ugly outburst, confirmed yesterday that a letter of complaint from the Association had been sent to Smith and that his fate would be decided at a committee meeting next week.

?Smith?s behaviour did give me cause for concern ? I was incredibly close to walking across to him and disqualifying him on the spot,? he said.

?We cannot tolerate behaviour like that from people who aspire to represent Bermuda at a major international event. I know he was upset, but after the tournament finished we sat in the clubhouse watching Phil Mickelson and Colin Montgomerie playing for millions of dollars and squandering their positions in the US Open, and neither of them acted as badly as David Smith.

?That sort of behaviour is simply unacceptable and we are going to have to consider his inclusion in the team very carefully.?

Meanwhile, the objections from some golfers over Haddrell?s inclusion stems from the fact that he was unknown to anybody bar the BGA until last week and had not played in another local tournament other than the Strokeplay championships since he was a junior.

When not at college in Texas, Haddrell lives in London and was a member of England?s Under-18 squad in 2001.

To qualify for the World Amateurs a player must finish in the top 12 of the Order of Merit in the lead-up to the Strokeplay tournament and must then place in the top three to be guaranteed a spot on the team.

However, if any Bermudian golfer is a full-time student overseas and therefore unable to gain Order of Merit points by taking part in local tournaments, the BGA are entitled to exempt that person from having to finish in the top 12, as long as they have been kept informed of that player?s performances in events overseas and are satisfied the player is good enough.

According to Legere yesterday, Haddrell has been following the letter of the law and won his place ?fair and square? by finishing second in last week?s tournament, one shot adrift of Vallis.

But local golfers such as young Jarryd Dillas, currently working at Mid Ocean Club, argued yesterday that it ?cannot be right? that a player like Bermuda Amateur Match Play champion Nick Mansell ? the Port Royal superintendent who placed fourth last week ? should not be automatically selected.

He insisted also that to pick a team for a major international event based almost entirely on the outcome of four rounds of golf is unfair and that Haddrell ? as good a golfer as he is ? should have been required to play in more local tournaments to be eligible for selection.

Responding to the complaints, Legere explained that the rules have been in place for several years, and that everybody attempting to qualify was ?fully aware? of what they needed to do.

He conceded, however, that the automatic inclusion of the Amateur Match Play champion was ?probably a very good idea? and said the BGA would be happy to consider any further recommendations for improvements to the process.

?We have never said that the qualifying procedure is set in stone,? he said.

?If there are people out there with recommendations, we would be happy to consider them. As it is, however, everything that took place was done in accordance with the rules we have, which were established a few years ago by a group set up by the BGA, whose procedures were then approved by the committee.

?We?re not about to start changing the rules after the fact. There are and have been golfers in the same position as William Haddrell who are studying overseas and are not available to play in many local tournaments and as long as they make the effort to keep us up to date, we have to consider them.?