Michael Sim is Grinding Around Bethpage, But Staying Within Reach

Michael Sim is the leading money winner on the Nationwide Tour this season.  We've talked about him several times here at Waggle Room.  He is assured a spot on the PGA Tour next season and is the only Nationwide Tour player on record to ever crack the top 100 in the Official World Golf Ranking while still a member of that tour.  He sits 96th right now.

I was able to catch Sim for the final three holes of his round.  When I caught him at 16, he was -1 for the championship and two-under par for the day.  Coming home, it looked like he was grinding to get into the clubhouse.  Sim came home with a couple of bogeys on 16 and 18.  He nearly made birdie on 17.  Overall, he is one over through 36 holes.

That may not seem like much compared to Ricky Barnes' 132 total for the first two rounds, but Sim is the leader in the clubhouse among players that were a part of that Thursday morning part of the draw which has seen hard luck in the weather and course conditions that they have experienced.

Sim talked with reporters after the round about how well he was playing and how the the best part of his game - putting - has kept him in the tournament so far.  When the cut is made and the players are re-grouped, he will be somewhere around the 9th to last group to head back out and attempt starting round three.

That should give him sufficient time to, as he said, "grab a bite of lunch and hit some balls at the range."  The marathon continues for Sim, but he said this is old hat for him.  

"This is like the sixth tournament in a row for me where there was some kind of weather delay," he told reporters.  "I'm prepared for it now."

Later this afternoon, we will see if he can make a run at the leaders from the Thursday afternoon draw.