$125,000 Payless Open was bad enough for Ocean View GC pro Dwayne Pearman.

Signing for a 79 only made things worse.

Pearman was disqualified from the first tournament on the Canadian tour after informing officials he had signed an incorrect scorecard. The card differed from reality on only one hole, the par three 16th, where Pearman carded a bogey four but signed a scorecard indicating he had parred the hole.

"He came to me and said `I think I made an error,' '' said tour operations director Ray Horne. "He brought it to our attention as soon as he realized what he had done. It is one of those unfortunate mistakes that carried a penalty of disqualification.'' Horne said he appreciated Pearman's honesty. "We'd never had caught up to it, unless one of his playing partners had come forward after seeing his score posted,'' Horne said. "Dwayne did the right thing. Golf is a game on honour and this incident has shown that he's an honourable person.'' Pearman's concentration had been at a low ebb after a bogey on the 481-yard ninth hole left him with a four over par score of 41 at the turn.

"After that I just wanted to get it over with,'' he said before learning of the disqualification. "The front nine is pretty easy. You should really come in at no worse than even par. I came in at four over and I knew the back was a lot harder.'' Pearman bogeyed the 10th, 11th and 12th holes before parring in with the exception of the troublesome 16th.

Pearman is now exempt from qualifying for the next tour event, the $100,000 Xerox BC Open which begins on Thursday in Vernon, BC. Two other Bermudians, Cornell Bean and Lloyd James will attempt to qualify for that event on Monday.

Bermuda's Kim Marshall yesterday bowed out of the North/South Golf Tournament at Pinehurst Golf and Country Club in North Carolina when her spirited challenge against Marion McInerney came to an end on the 17th.

The match-play round saw the Pennsylvanian win two-up after shrugging off a strong fight back by Marshall who was five shots behind after the 10th hole.

Marshall gave her opponent full credit for a sterling showing.

"She played well,'' said Marshall of McInerney.

TOUGH BREAK -- Dwayne Pearman was disqualified from the Payless Open in British Columbia yesterday after submitting an incorrect scorecard.