Golf pro Michael Sims is determined to rebound from a failed bid to earn qualification for either the lucrative PGA Tour or second tier Nationwide Tour.

And he gets a golden opportunity to make amends next week when he flies back to play in the second annual Gosling?s Invitational at Belmont Hills, whom he represents as a touring pro.

The 26-year-old blitzed the field at October?s Bermuda Open, registering a record victory before bowing out of the PGA Tour Qualifying School Tournament at Hombre Golf Club in Panama, Florida at the second stage earlier this month.

But after regrouping and putting in extra hours practising on the course, Sims insists he?s raring to compete in what will be his first Invitational tournament in the familiar surroundings of Belmont.

And there?s little doubt he will have the backing of the home crowd to spur him on.

Sims, who arrives home today, told : ?I?m certainly looking forward to returning to play in the Invitational. I think the golf course at Belmont is in great shape, the greens are very fast and I?m very much looking forward to playing there.

?I think my game is in pretty good shape at the moment and I never ever enter golf tournaments trying to beat any particular person. I can?t control other people. All I can do is control what I do and how I play out there. This is what I always focus on.?

Sims stormed to a first-ever Open championship by five shots over long-time friend Dwayne Pearman, another local pro expected to be among the hunt for top honours next week.

Overseas contenders include regular Island visitors Ian Doig and Tim Conley, Bill Walsh and defending champ P.H.Horgan.

Horgan won last year?s inaugural Invitational ? which saw Conley controversially disqualified for ?signing an incorrect scorecard? after a protest was lodged by playing partner Doig ? by three-shots over Canadian pro Joe Rinker.

Doig is a three-time winner of the former Belmont Invitational that was scrapped in 1999 when the old Belmont Hotel was demolished and the course completely redesigned.

In all a total of 85 golfers ? 26 from overseas ? will compete for the $50,000 in prize earnings.

Alluding to this month?s disappointment in Florida, Sims said: ?It was a bit rough. It was certainly a tough course.?

Sims, who has competed on the Hooter?s and South American Tours, completed the 72-hole Qualifying Tournament tied for 40th at five-over-par 293.

?You can look at that performance in two different ways,? he added philosophically. ?You can either let it get you down or you can use it as a stepping stone or learning experience. Whenever you fall down you must get back on your feet and carry on. And so I?m very much looking forward to coming home to play some good golf and not allow myself to worry about anything else.

?It?s always nice to play golf with people like Dwayne because you tend to learn a lot of different things from some of the older players. Every once in awhile you get to sit back and take something from others.?

1992 Belmont Invitational winner Pearman is also eager to compete next week ? and also to be reunited with Nations Cup partner Sims.

?I?m as ready as I can be and hopefully I will do the best that I can. Michael and I are very good friends and I always enjoy playing with him,? Pearman, a multiple Bermuda Open champion, told At the moment Michael is trying to make the PGA Tour and I really admire what he?s trying to achieve. And it?s nice to see someone from Bermuda making that step. I hope to see him take full advantage of it.?

As for his own chances next week, Pearman noted: ?Anything can happen. I?m not striking the ball badly and my putting has been below par over the past couple months. But it?s starting to feel a bit better and hopefully it will all come together next week.?