Johnnie Walker Classic winner Danny Lee misses cut

Aberdeen-born Michael Sim, having to rebuild his career after lower back stress fracture.

Michael Sim's local knowledge helps him share

lead in Melbourne's Moonah Classic

Aberdeen-born Michael Sim shares the lead with Argentina's Miguel Angel Carballo at halfway in the Moonah Classic over the Moonah Links course near Melbourne.

Sim, who emigrated with his parents to Australia when he was seven in the early 1990s, had a second-round 67 to hit the eight-under-par 136 mark. Carballo had a 68.
They lead by one shot from American Josh Tester (68) and Terry Pilkadaris (67) in the event which is a joint Nationwide Tour and Australasian PGA event.
Four players were tied for fifth at 138, including former Scottish Open winner Aussie veteran Peter O'Malley (70) who was among five who shared the first-round lead. Australian Steven Conran shot a 67 while Americans Daniel Summerhays and Hunter Haas each had 70s and are tied with O'Malley.
New Zealand amateur Danny Lee, who won last week's Johnnie Walker Classic at Perth, Western Australia missed the cut after rounds of 74 and 75. Lee, last year's US Amateur champion, missed the cut by five strokes with a total of 149.
Sim, who finished seventh in the "Johnnie Walker," is a former member of the Australian Institute of Sport's golf programme based at Moonah. He estimates he has played the Moonah Links course "between 35 and 50 times."
"I know the course better than anyone else in the field," Sim said. "We came down and played once or twice a week on the course. You know the shots to hit around the greens, you know where to bail it out, you know the breaks on the greens."
Sim emigrated with his parents from Aberdeen to Perth, Western Australia when he was seven years old in the early 1990s. His Aberdonian father George introduced him to golf and Michael became the world-ranked No 1 amateur before he turned professional in 2005 and the following year won on the Nationwide Tour and earned a promotion to the US PGA Tour in 2007.
But a stress fracture he suffered in his back in 2006 led to a late start on the main circuit and a limited schedule of 17 tournaments. He had a medical extension last year but could only play five US Tour events as well as some smaller tournaments toward the end of the year -- about 14 in all.
He's now aiming to rebuild his career.
"I'm riding a bit of a confidence wave right now," Sim said. "I'm just starting to believe in myself a little bit more."

SECOND-ROUND LEADERS
Par 144 (2 x 72)
136 M Sim (Sco) 69 67, M A Carballo (Arg) 68 68.
137 T Pilkadaris (Aus) 70 67, J Tester (US) 69 68.
138 S Conran (Aus) 71 67, D Summerhays (US) 68 70, H Haas (US) 68 70, P O'Malley (Aus) 68 70.
MISSED THE CUT (level par 144 or better qualified)
149 D Lee (NZ) amateur 74 75.