Despite the disappointment of faltering at the second stage of PGA Tour's Q School for the second successive year, Michael Sims has the ringing endorsement of the man who has guided him in recent years.

Terming the young Bermudian pro golfer "incredibly talented", Steve Napoli predicts Sims will someday reach the highest rung of the professional ranks. However, it may or may not be within the time the latter desires.

"He will get to the pro Tour when he is supposed to get there - and that may not necessarily be the time frame that he wants. He wants it right away but golf takes time. He could do it next year or later but he will get there. He's talented enough."

Who better should know than the Rhode Island-based club pro who has coached Sims for the past four years?

Saying Sims was capable of getting PGA or Buy.Com status this year if he had enjoyed a good second round in Q School, Napoli pointed out that the fact that he did not was not a failure as Sims, now concluding his first year as a pro, is still developing and is now competing "alongside people who have played hundreds of tournaments".

"He's a rookie and rookies pay their dues. He'll get better with the competition. His first year (as a pro) has been average but amateur golf is totally different from professional golf. When you're playing as an amateur around the United States, everywhere you go things are all organised for you and people take care of you.

"When you turn pro, you're on your own in everything you do. So there's a huge adjustment there. The lifestyle of a pro compared to an amateur is different let alone the fact that he is playing against better players - a higher level of competition."

Asked his assessment of how 23-year-old Sims has adjusted, Napoli replied: "I think it's pretty typical of a first-year pro. I think that a year from now Michael will do things differently: learning when to take breaks, when to play in tournaments, how many weeks in a row he needs to play. I think at one stretch he played seven events in a row. That's tough, to be on the road that long.

"It's different and there's a learning curve there that every single golf pro has to go through."

The American coach and his charge met when Sims enrolled at the University of Rhode Island and was looking for a coach in the area. Napoli was immediately struck by the new arrival.

"When Michael came to Rhode Island he was already a very skilled player and during that time he decided to work really hard on his game and he did so. His progress has probably gone quicker than we could have anticipated but his work ethic and his goals - he wants to play the PGA Tour, he wants to get out there - that's what make him work."

Another strength is Sims' ball striking which, according to Napoli who was in Bermuda last week, is "as good as anyone's when he is on".

"He hits the ball terrific distances. He needs to work a bit more on accuracy at times. The question that remains to be answered is how well Michael can play when his ball striking is off. The best players in the world are able to shoot low scores when they are not having good days."

Napoli is also pleased his student has surrounded himself with sound, positive colleagues, particularly on the road.

"They tend to be very much like Michael - young, trying to get on the pro Tour. They've also had some success on the major amateur circuit and they're going through the same things he is. He tries to find the most positive people he can to be around and that's critical.

"When you play golf there's a lot more failure than there is success so you need to have positive influences around."

One weakness Napoli cited is that the Island's top golfer "gets a little down on himself when he is not playing his best".

"He is highly skilled but nobody can play at their highest level at all times and when Michael is not at his highest he gets a little frustrated."

On those occasions, his coach tries to focus Sims on small immediate objectives.

"I try to help him take one shot at a time, one round at a time, one tournament at a time," explained the 47-year-old.

In his quest to assist Sims in producing his best on the greens, Napoli has even consulted some of his better-known peers. He arranged for Billy Harmon, one of the top 100 golf teachers in the world, to offer a second opinion on Sims during the summer in California in an effort to correct some things which he thought were amiss.

"I called Billy and asked him to take a look at Michael and the things that I saw Billy spotted on his own. It just reinforced the things he (Sims) needs to work on."

Those "things" were Sims' left-hand grip and posture, both of which the latter subsequently altered prior to relocating to Florida for the winter.

"I think he is more comfortable with his ball striking and his game. He'll continue to learn his swing and what he can and cannot do," said Napoli.

No doubt after his recent experience he'll also learn that golf does indeed take time - just like his coach says.