Michael Sim: Set to Return

BY Anthony Powter | Australasian PGA Tour | 2008 Australian Masters | General | 30 Nov 2008

Michael Sim back in 2006 claimed his first event as a professional winning the PalmettoPride Classic in a playoff over Ken Dukes to set up his PGA Tour status for 2007. With his immediate playing future assured, Sim’s golfing career looked set, but it would be temporarily cut short through injury.

His recent playing schedule has been dislocated to a degree through a back injury, a result of hitting balls since the age of five and the grind of the professional golf. Injury has prevented Sim from gaining any momentum on tour, however, his back is on the mend and as shown at this week’s Australian Masters, so is his game.

Sim has played himself into contention at the Australian Masters with solid golf, sending a signal that he’s fitter than ever and ready to return and make his mark on the world golfing stage.

“I’ve actually been playing quite well the last few months,” said the 24-year-old after his third round 68 to share the lead with Robert Allenby moving into the final day.

“It’s been a long road back, but I am playing well and hitting lots of greens. As long as I keep it going it will be an exciting summer back in Australia.”

Sim turned professional in November 2006, after claiming the world number one amateur position. As an Australian Eisenhower and Asia Pacific Teams representative he avoided Stage One of the Asian Tour School and would gain conditional status there.

Born in Aberdeen, Scotland before moving to Australia at the age of five, Sim first made the Western Australia State junior side at the age of fourteen, before gaining selection for the Senior Team in 2001 at the age of sixteen.

He moved to Melbourne in 2002 and became a member at Yarra Yarra Golf Club while attending the Australian Institute of Sport. After two years at the Institute he was awarded the Ross Herbert Memorial Scholarship in 2003.

Sim travelled to the US for the first time in 2004 and played in several amateur events culminating in his win at the 2004 Southern Amateur and in the process secured an number of top-10 finishes. The win at the Southern Amateur gained him a start at the 2005 Bay Hill Invitational, where he missed the cut by a shot. Later in the American summer of 2005, Sim won the Sunnehanna and Monroe Invitational events and secured the top world amateur ranking.

His first professional event was at the Von Nida Tour’s 2005 New South Wales Open where he missed the cut and followed it up with three consecutive missed cuts at the Australasian Tour events. Sim would fall back at the time on the Von Nida Tour with a conditional card for Asia, but he mainly focused playing in Australia, with his aim to move to the US and base himself there.

“I missed my first four cuts as a professional and was struggling earlier on,” he said at the time.

“I’d looked back and said to myself; “Hey I was the number one ranked amateur in the world, I have just turned pro, surely I can play with these guys. That has probably helped me through having that type of reflection to fall back onto.”

Sim’s opening break would come through the insight of tournament promoter Bob Tuohy at the 2006 Jacob’s Creek Open.

Playing on a Sponsor’s invite, Sim finished second after losing to Paul Sheehan on the second playoff hole. A week later and a T29th placing in the New Zealand PGA Championship, had the 21-year-old at the time elevated onto the Nationwide Tour following the re-ranking process later in April.

It was the break Sim was after and he joined another young Australian professional looking to make his mark on the Nationwide Tour in their rookie year, Nick Flanagan. Both would later progress to the main PGA Tour, but not without experiencing sacrifices.

Granted with a major medical extension on the PGA Tour last season, Sim had five events to earn US$385,280 which would have given him a medical exemption for the remainder of the 2008 season. He would finish US$115,416 short, despite a late surge of form in October with a T7th finish at the Frys.com Open and a T18th at the Ginn sur Mer Classic this month.

“I had a medical [exemption] this year on the PGA Tour. I had to make a certain amount of money and I didn’t. Then I had another back issue.”

Sim has battled a niggling back, sat long hours in cars driving between events and worked his way onto the richest tour through hard work. He’s again facing the same challenge but this time minus the back injury. Sim is a worker, methodical and focused with his game. He’s open on what he wants to achieve having regain full fitness.

“Ultimately I want to be back on the main tour next year,” he said yesterday at Huntingdale.

“America is where I’m now based and where I feel comfortable playing. I’ll play on the Nationwide Tour and work my way back to the PGA Tour.”

A few week’s ago Sim had missed the second stage of US Q-School. It was another body blow, yet he’s taken the obvious disappointment in his stride.

“I was actually playing quite well,” said Sim.

“It’s been tough but at least I have somewhere to play next year. It was just the second stage of the Q-school where I had one bad round of golf and that hurt.”

Sim falls back on the Nationwide Tour with conditional status and finds himself in familiar territory similar to that he was in 2006. He was successful back then making the sought after top 125 money earners to graduate to the main tour and there’s no reason why he won’t repeat the same next season.

With probably 11 early starts on the 2009 Nationwide Tour before the re-rank, Sim is aware he needs to get off to a good start.

This week at Huntingdale he’s certainly achieved that and it’s pleasing to again have one of our most gifted young professionals back in the spotlight.