Defending champion Michael Sims was only two shots off the lead after the first round of the $60,000 Bermuda Open at a storm-hit Port Royal yesterday.

The Canadian Tour rookie carded a two-under 69 to finish tied for third, two back from American pros Jeffrey Dantes and Keir Smith ? with Sims playing the last two holes in three-under par to finish the round in commanding fashion.

Last year?s runner-up Dwayne Pearman ? who said afterwards he was feeling ?drained? after three straight weeks playing golf overseas ? shot a three-over 74 to end the day tied for 16th while former European Tour pro Kim Swan carded a four-over 75.

Two-time Open champion PH Horgan III ? who plays on the Nationwide Tour and won back-to-back Open crowns in 2003 and 2004 ? is tied for sixth after compiling an even-par round of 71.

The first day of play was interrupted at just after one in the afternoon when a violent storm swept over the course from the south, and when the lightning started flashing, Bermuda Golf Association president Bob Legere blew the horn to signal to the players to suspend their rounds.

This procedure did not go entirely according to plan, however, as Sims and his two playing partners Scott Barnett and Tim Allaby weren?t able to hear the horn while teeing off on the 17th, meaning they had played the hole and started playing the last before realising the rest of the field had retired to the clubhouse.

In normal circumstances, carrying on once play has been suspended carries with it a two-stroke penalty for every hole illegally played.

But in this instance, Legere accepted the explanation that they had not heard the horn and no action was taken ? a decision which prompted plenty of grumbling from one or two of the visiting pros, who also pointed out that several groups had re-started their rounds before the second horn to signal the resumption of play.

Earlier Sims looked calm and relaxed as he strolled onto the first tee to defend the title at just after nine in the morning along with his father and caddie for the week Bruce ? though his front nine turned out to be a tale of missed opportunities.

Wearing a white bandage on his left wrist to support an injury which kept him on the sidelines for a few weeks earlier in the season, he parred the first two holes before bogeying the par-three third having found the green with his tee shot and three-putting from 25 feet.

A bogey at the par-four sixth, after he narrowly missed a slippery downhill right-to-left breaker for par took him to two over, before securing his first birdie of the day on the par-five, dog-leg seventh after just missing the green in two.

The 27-year-old then struck a superb tee shot to within five feet on the par-three eighth ? only to miss his third putt on the front nine from that distance or less.

His back nine got off to a much more positive start, however, as he birdied the 10th, before his third bogey of the day on the par- four 14th put him back above par once again.

It was while playing the signature par-three 16th that the weather began to turn nasty, with a lone white fishing boat and a sky swarming with menacing black clouds providing a dramatic backdrop as Sims stood over his putt for par, doing well to keep his balance and his nerve as he was buffeted by the increasingly strong winds.

And it was the wind that the Island?s best golfer used to his advantage on the par-five 17th, massacring his tee shot some 300 yards down the fairway, which allowed him to use only an eight iron for his approach ? a shot he stuck to within four feet before draining the putt for eagle.

He followed that up soon after with a birdie at the last.

?That was only my second round of competitive golf in the last week and a half, which I think explains why I started a little slowly,? aida typically laid-back Sims said afterwards. He currently sits at 71 on the Canadian Tour Order of Merit having made $6,208 from ten events.

?I missed a few short putts but I also made a few good ones and generally I was happy with the way I played ? particularly at the end there where I turned an OK round into a good one.

?But it?s only Thursday ? I?m definitely not getting too carried away because a lot can happen between now and the final round.

?It?s nice to be home though, eating home-cooked food, sleeping in my own bed. It makes me feel a lot more relaxed and comfortable and hopefully that will be reflected in the way I play this week.?

Dantes, who is one of the overnight leaders on four under, was similarly indifferent about the significance of his opening-round performance.

?I?ve just come down here for a vacation really and to play a bit of golf, so I?m not putting too much pressure on myself,? said the 39-year-old Canadian Tour and New England Tour veteran, who is devoting most of his time these days to promoting a new patented swing aid called the Position Stick.

?I haven?t been playing as much tour golf as I used to because I?ve been concentrating on getting the business up and running but I?ve had about four top ten finishes on the New England tour this year and won in the region of $14,000 ? which I?m reasonably happy with considering how little time I?ve had to practice.

?I know Mike (Sims) well because he often plays on the New England Tour and I?m well aware that he?s a very, very good player and will be coming after me.

?My aim really is to try and go out there and shoot sub-par ideally in every round, and if that happens, I should be in with a shout on Sunday.?