Michael Sims is probably ending 2004 trying to determine whether this year has been "naughty or nice" to him.

The last 12 months have seen positive growth in several aspects of his game and have given him significant things to be pleased about, including his first substantial victory.

Simultaneously, though, the Bermudian pro golfer has endured frustration yet again in his bid to access the sport's top tier ? the lucrative PGA Tour.

"So close but yet so far away" is the perfect way to summarise Sims' fate in this regard.

Add to that disappointment the disappearance of a Tour co-ordinator owing the Island's top man on the tees more than $40,000 in prize money and a bout of sickness in South America and one can understand why he would be eager to flip his calendar over to a new year.

However, with his calm demeanour ever intact, Sims prefers to concentrate on the good that's emerged.

"I'm definitely a lot more pleased with my play and the way things have gone this year. Winning (on the Maverick Tour) was a big highlight even though there was no money. I was playing very well and just the satisfaction of seeing things in my game get better has been great," he noted, alluding to the fact that Tour chief Tim Avramidis disappeared leaving Sims and others out of pocket.

"My short game has improved. My mental game has improved ? those are my kind of highlights, the things I look at."

Obviously, he would like to continue making strides in 2005 by polishing up his short game even more, learning a couple of new shots and getting stronger mentally.

"Golf is a process and unfortunately for me it's been a slow one but I feel like I'm playing better and that it's just a matter of time before it happens," said Sims optimistically.

Still there is the odd reflection at how different his world might be now if one or two additional things had gone his way.

First and foremost is the agonising memory of missing the crucial third round of PGA Tour Qualifying School (Q-School) by three shots and thereby losing a guarantee of playing on either the PGA or Nationwide Tours next year.

"I was that close but now I'm still that far," said the 25-year-old who has reached Q-School's second round on three occasions. "I have to take away the positive from it. That's all I can do."

What he wants to remember even less is the $42,000 he was cheated out of by Avramidis after a successful run on the Maverick Tour in the summer.

"That's been long forgotten," said Sims, who adopted that attitude so the setback would not affect his progress.

Back in mid-July, Avramidis disappeared in the middle of a tournament leaving scores of Tour players without prize money as cheques bounced all across Florida. The Tour was abruptly halted and there has been no word since on Avramidis' whereabouts though police have launched a probe into the issue.

To add to their anguish, Sims and company had each paid non-refundable deposits of $ 9,880 to compete on the Tour.

A few weeks earlier, the Bermudian had celebrated his first major payday with a $25,000 one-shot victory at Palm Aire Country Club. The following week, he placed 13th at The Links at Madison Green to add $1,516.66 to his coffers. The Bermudian was in the money for the third week running with $2,875 for seventh place at PGA National-General.

He excelled again shortly afterwards with a second-place finish at Inverrary Country Club; a performance worth $10,025.

His hot streak continued into the ill-fated tournament during which Avramidis went missing, with Sims shooting six-under 65 in the first round before the event was abandoned.

Now home for the Christmas holidays, Sims has just come off a bout of illness which curtailed his participation in the Peru Open, the third event of his South American Tour campaign.

It was not the way he had hoped to end his final golfing exploit of the year ? having made the cut in two other South American tournaments only to finish poorly ? but he was nonetheless upbeat.

"I have been playing well but I struggled in my last two events after making the cut. I just needed to play better in my final rounds. I kept shooting high numbers towards the end in both Mexico and Panama and then Peru came and unfortunately I got sick.

"It's so frustrating to finish like this. In the first tournament I was two-under and in the top 15 after the first two rounds and the top 20 after the third round but I played horribly in the final round and the next week it was the same thing.

"I played well for three rounds and on my last few holes I seemed to give it all back."

Recalling the gut-wrenching experience in Peru ? where he bowed out after a few holes of the second round ? Sims said he tried to play but it was simply impossible.

"I played five holes and after three holes I was spent. I played in the afternoon but I only got an hour's sleep the night before. I've never thrown up so much in my life.

"I went out to try and play but after a few holes I was done. I think I was one-under or even par but I just couldn't do anything," he revealed.

In three years of pursuing his professional dream on greens and fairways, the Bermudian's greatest lesson has been to exercise greater patience and, given the ups and downs of the past season, he appreciates the merits of that attribute.

"It's about being patient with everything...travelling long distances, being sick in foreign places, golf courses, with myself ? accepting that I'll go through good and bad stretches."