Michael Sim, now in world top 50, has key of


the door to World Championships, Majors

FROM THE PGA OF AUSTRALIA WEBSITE
Young gun Michael Sim says he'll be working hard mentally to put aside several distractions at this week's Australian PGA Championship as he strives to top the Australasian PGA Tour order of merit and earn a start in the four majors next year.
The Aberdeen-born 25-year-old had a stellar 2009 season, winning three times on the Nationwide Tour to gain automatic promotion to the PGA Tour and also recently taking out player of the year honours on America's secondary tour.
With a spot on the US PGA Tour locked up for 2010 Sim could also force his way into the four majors if he retains the spot in the top 50 that he grabbed as of last weekend while as the pacesetter in the race for the money list title he can also earn starts in the World Golf Championships events if he remains there.
But while his sixth placing at last week's Australian Open at La Perouse in Sydney would seem to indicate that he's in the form to achieve those goals, the Western Australian admitted on Wednesday that he hasn't been entirely focused and his game has suffered.
"It would be nice to win the order of merit but I've just got to put that in the back of my mind and just think about my golf game," Sim said after playing in the pro-am at Coolum on Wednesday.
"It's been good all year and I was thinking about it today, the order of merit and top 50 and I didn't really play great golf today in the pro-am."
"To be honest I struggled a little bit last week (at the Australian Open), I got away with a few drives."
"I'm just thinking too much about my technique right now and then add the order of merit and the top-50 stuff on top of that (and) it's hard to hit good golf shots."
"I've just got to get back to my routines and just playing the golf course (and) just leave all that other stuff that you can't control in the back of my mind."
Planning to spend some time at the beach and also take it easy in the afternoon to complete his preparation for the PGA, Sim also admitted how keen he is for a US Masters debut at Augusta National next April even if he won't go there with massive expectations at least the first time.
"I've just watched it as a kid since I was 10 years old with Dad and it's definitely a dream of mine to get to the Masters and obviously a dream to win," he added.
"A lot of people say I've got a good game for the Masters, I shape the ball and my short game's good."
"(But) you watch the Masters on TV and it's one of those courses that looks like you've got to know the course, there's not too many first-time winners that go there."
"I think mentally I've come a long way the past 12 months, I'm starting to believe in myself a lot more."
"Everything's just coming around ... I feel like I've got a great team around me now and hopefully one day I can win a major whether it's next year or two years down the track."
Living close to Geoff Ogilvy in Scottsdale, Arizona, Sim has spent a fair bit of time with the defending Australian PGA champion who rates his younger compatriot very highly and tips big things from him in the future.
"He's a pretty driven bloke with a lot of talent and that's a pretty good combination," Ogilvy said of Sim.
"He's a pretty wise golfer already for 25."
"And he's got that second half of '08 on the US Tour so he's played enough US Tour events to not be overawed by the situation and he's been playing well so I can't imagine he's going to do anything but well next year."