DAILY Echo champion Rob Sims has vowed to return to the Algarve after missing out on the Penina prize at the Sunshine Challenge national final last week.

The 54-year-old ex-Navy man, from Corfe Mullen, finished ninth with a total of 85 Stableford points after rounds at Morgado, Palmares and Pinta.

"If you are going to give yourself a chance you have to get birdies to cancel out the bogeys," said Sims.

"Although I gave myself plenty of opportunities I never got one," added the Bulbury Woods member.

Despite his disappointment Sims is determined to defend his Bournemouth match play title next year.

"Hopefully I might be fortunate enough to win it again, but if not I will join the Bournemouth boys and pay my own way out," he said.

The national newspaper competition is played in conjunction with the Sunshine Challenge tournament week which was supported by more than 20 players from the Bournemouth area.

Although Sims failed to chalk up a solitary birdie in the main event, he did chip in for an eagle two at Alamos in the fourball betterball team event.

The eight-handicapper also won the nearest the pin competition at Morgado and helped his Texas scramble team to the runners-up spot at Gramacho.

Sims finished 28 points behind the runaway winner Rick Stone, from the Chichester Observer, who won the three-day break to the five-star Penina Resort.

Stone saw his 16 handicap cut to 12 after chalking up a massive 44 points on the opening day at Morgado.

He followed up with an impressive 36 points at Palmares to build up a nine-point lead over Bristol Post winner Ian Ward going into the final day.

Sims and his fellow competitors, meanwhile, were left with no choice but to attack the course in a desperate attempt to close the gap.

"I thought I had done okay and was fairly happy with my score of 30 points on the opening day," said Sims.

"But when the final group came in with scores of plus 40 I knew it was going to be an uphill battle.

"Rick was fortunate to have a great first round. It is probably a round he will treasure for the rest of his life.

"Even when he got cut to 12 he had a good mental approach to the game and came in with 36 and 33 points which are very respectable scores," added Sims.

During his first round at Morgado, Sims struck a five-iron shot more than 200 yards to within six feet of the pin on the 17th hole.

But he failed to improve his position on the second day at Palmares after scoring just 27 points.

"I played the links part of the course well by keeping to the fairways and avoiding the treacherous sand dunes and managed a par on the stroke index one par five fifth hole," explained Sims.

"I was very close to level par for the front nine, but to catch up I needed to attack the course and was caught out on the second nine which had a lot of blind tee shots."

The final day was played on the Pinta course at the Pestana Golf Resort which hosts this month's European Seniors Tour qualifying competition.

"Pinta was the best course we played on all week," said Sims. "When you're walking down the fairways you think you're walking on a carpet.

"I had no option but to go on the attack again as there was no defending to do," explained Sims, who teed off at the 10th hole.

"Although I threw away a few silly shots, I was happy to par my last four holes to salvage a more respectable score of 28 points."

Now in its 16th year, the Sunshine Challenge lived up to its name with cloudless skies and temperatures peaking at 30 degrees celsius.

Sunshine Challenge newspaper winners' scores: 1 Rick Stone (Chichester Observer, 16hcp cut to 12hcp) 44, 36, 33 - 113 points; 2 Ian Ward (Bristol Evening Post, 13hcp cut to 10hcp) 41, 30, 31 - 102 points; 3 Phil Westley (East Anglian Daily Times, 1hcp) 34, 29, 37 - 100 points; 4 Jason Robson (Golf North East, 13hcp cut to 11hcp) 40, 30, 30 - 100 points; 5 Gregg Harrison (Kent Messenger, 17hcp) 36, 29, 34 - 99 points; 6 Richard Goodwin (Yorkshire Post, 9hcp) 35, 29 , 32 - 96 points; 7 Stuart McMehen (Stirling Observer, 2hcp) 31, 29, 34 - 94 points; 8 Willy Hutton (Perthshire Advertiser, 2hp) 30, 26, 33) - 89 points; 9 Rob Sims (Daily Echo Bournemouth, 8hcp) 30, 27, 28 - 85 points; 10 Ian Allinson (Portsmouth News, 9hcp) 32, 24, 25 - 81 points.