Kim Swan will play his first competitive round of golf in nearly five years at the Gosling’s Invitational today.The former Leader of the Opposition and European Tour professional is returning to the sport after a lengthy break and hopes this tournament will be the first step on a journey that could eventually take him back into the professional game.Hardly a stranger to playing in tense situations, Swan, who won the Bermuda Open in 1978, 1983 and 1984, said he still felt pressure going into today’s first round.“I’m going to play tournaments, I’m going to play competitive, which will mean playing local events,” he said. “I’m playing the Gosling’s, which is pressure because I’m not match fit.“I was sort of roped into this, so I’ve got to hone my skills in a short period of time so that I can play respectable. The last time I played in the Gosling’s was 2006 and the last time I played a competitive round of golf was in 2007.”With more time on his hands than in recent years, Swan is determined to get his game in good shape and see where that leads him.“There are some open tournaments I’d like to play in, I’d like to try to qualify for the British Senior Open, the US Senior Open,” he said. “If you can play some events and get yourself fit . . . I’m going 50, so it’s an open door.”Swan’s return to this week’s tournament at Belmont Hills coincides with a new job at Port Royal Golf Course, where he will be one of four teaching professionals at the club’s new golfing academy.“For the last couple of months I’ve been doing some odd jobs with a few friends, couple of plumbing companies but golf is my trade, so I’ve been trying to get reconnected,” said Swan.“It hasn’t been easy but Port Royal is keen on developing a golf academy and I’m more interested in the game of golf as opposed to the administrative side of it. It’s a good fit.”Swan will join head pro Dwayne Pearman, Chris Smith and Andrew Brooks, Port Royal’s director of golf, on the academy staff and is excited about the possibilities of the new venture.“I must say thankyou to Greg Maybury, Andrew Brooks, Dwayne Pearman and the Trustees Board for embracing me and welcoming me on at to the Port Royal Academy of Golf Team,” said Swan.“Getting re-acquainted with golf and Port Royal has rekindled my love for the game. I am honoured and relish the opportunity to work with the best collection of golf pros on the Island.“This will be a unique opportunity to inspire members, new students and entry level golfers by sharing with them the techniques and methods to improve their game, whilst encouraging them to practise and be persistent to become the best golfer they possibly can be.”Brooks was equally delighted to have Swan onboard and said he would be using his experience to help produce a coaching manual for the new academy.“We want to get people to learn to play golf in a simple fashion, teach them the fundamentals, and with guys like Kim Swan, Dwayne Pearman and myself we’ve got years and years experience of teaching the game and playing the game,” said Brooks.“We’ll be putting our heads together and actually developing a teaching programme is key to the success of the academy, and that’s what we’re going to be doing.“I’m pleased to have Kim come onboard, his career history makes him one of the better golfers on the Island. He’s got some great connections in the game and we hope to develop not only on-Island tuition but overseas tuition as well.”