Sims pipped by Weaver in play-offs
A missed short putt for par and a monster putt for birdie combined to deny Michael Sims victory at the e-Golf Tour Southern Open in Salisbury, North Carolina on Saturday.The Bermudian pro hit the headlines last Thursday when he fired a 59 at the par-71 Club at Irish Creek, becoming only one of only 19 Tour professionals to ever break the magical 60 barrier.And on Saturday he looked set to put the icing on the cake as he reached the final hole, a par-three, needing only two putts to win the tournament outright.But he three-putted, was forced into a play-off with former British Amateur champion Drew Weaver who proceeded to drain a 30-footer for birdie on the first extra hole and lift the title.It was Sims’ highest place finish on the e-Golf Tour and earned him $14,111.Weaver picked up the first-place prize of $24,000.Sims headed into the last hole at five-under but the bogey left him with a four-under 67 and cost him some $10,000.Weaver, the tournament’s 54-hole leader, had soared to 20-under par through 13 holes on Saturday before dropping shots at 14, 17 and 18 to open the door for Sims.On the first extra hole, the two players found the middle of the green, where Sims curled his 45-foot birdie try down to four feet, leaving Weaver with a downhill 30-footer which astonishingly he dropped.Sims’ finish was his best on the e-Golf Tour since winning the Spring Creek Classic in 2008.His 59 on Thursday set a new Tour record and became the talk of world golf. His feat was reported in newspapers throughout the US and appeared on numerous websites, including YouTube.Of Sims’ final round, Weaver commented: “I wasn’t surprised to see him that far under. It’s something you don’t rule out when someone has gone that low earlier in the week. I knew he was capable of it, and thought he would be the guy to make a run. But, after that, I did a really good job of just doing my own thing.”The $14,111 runners-up cheque moved Sims up to eighth on the tour’s money list with $43,924 in earnings.The 33-year-old Bermudian made 94 career starts on the Web.com Tour (formerly Nationwide Tour), collecting four top-10 finishes and $184,295 in earnings. His best finish was a tie for ninth, recorded three times, at the 2011 Price Cutter Charity Championship, the 2009 Chitimacha Louisiana Open and the 2009 Preferred Health Systems Wichita Open.He lost his Web.com Tour card when he failed to qualify at last year’s PGA Qualifying School.