U.S. AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIP

August 23, 2001

Michael Sims

MICHAEL SIMS: Just hit good tee shots and try and get myself an opportunity to make birdie. The pins were, I think, fairly accessible. So hitting a wedge into them, anything is really accessible. But, yeah, just hit good tee shots and then try and make a putt.

MICHAEL SIMS: Which hole was that? The 21st hole, I hit a fade down the left-hand side. I had 100 yards to the flag. It was right on the button. A little head wind, a little uphill. But I thought if I hit a good wedge in there past the hole, it would spin back. Which it did. I had about six feet. He knocked one in there about 10 feet, 11 feet. And he made that and then I went in on top of him. Off the tee he hit a -- he hit it left on the 22nd hole. And I hit a really good drive down the middle. That's probably the best drive I've hit all week into the hole. And I had 106 yards to the flag. 106 yards to the flag. And I actually hold out 104-yard wedge shot early on in the week. So I knew that was the exact distance. A little down wind but a little uphill also. It cancelled each other out. And it was right on the money, just a little right and the putt was probably about seven feet and it swung pretty good right-to-left. I pulled it straight off the bat, but he had it just inside of me, probably about six feet and missed his coming up.

MICHAEL SIMS: I don't think so. I knew I was going to make mine. It was just a question of whether or not he was going to make his.

MICHAEL SIMS: Expectations? Well, I try not to limit myself. So I guess I really -- I don't have a set of expectations of what I'm going to do because you never know. You saw how quickly things turned this morning when I was 1-down with three to go and I win the last three holes to win 1-up. So I just try not to limit myself.

MICHAEL SIMS: I know he's got red hair and played for Florida.

MICHAEL SIMS: No. Should be an exciting match. I'm looking forward to it.

MICHAEL SIMS: I guess they got -- I'm just kidding. I actually went to boarding school down in Boca Raton, Florida, and one of the kids that played golf for my golf team there in high school went to URI. He was actually from the Canary Islands. He had quite the island connection up there. He came down, I talked with him, we just happened to meet and the next thing I know I was recruited and that was the only place I was recruited to. So there you go. That's where I went.

MICHAEL SIMS: I think Scott Main, almost made it to The Masters there at the U.S., was it the Public Links or the Mid-am? Mid-am, I think. He got to the finals one year. It's pretty exciting.

MICHAEL SIMS: I'm a born and bred Bermudan.

MICHAEL SIMS: But I have American status because my mom's American.

MICHAEL SIMS: I think it would just be unbelievable. I've already had so much support throughout the whole summer from everybody back home that I know. I know that they're in there supporting me. In fact, a guy today, he flew up -- I guess on what is today? I think he flew up on Wednesday but he was reading the paper Tuesday and saw my name in it and figured, well, he's in Atlanta, he can find the golf course and he actually was out there for all 36 -- well, however many holes it was today. He was out there for pretty much the whole thing. So that's pretty special to have people reading a newspaper back home. He's going to be in Atlanta. I don't know him, he doesn't know me. So, I mean, that's very special to have people just come and watch me.

MICHAEL SIMS: Not so far this week but, I mean, everybody, a lot of people are calling me from home. They know how I'm doing. But I don't know about celebrity status. I know, you know, I'm no Tiger woods or anything like that, but. People I think know who I am.

MICHAEL SIMS: I'm my dad was actually a good tennis player. And that's what I originally wanted to be. But it's a good thing I changed, tennis is a little tougher to make it in at this age.

MICHAEL SIMS: Actually, Faxon came it was a weird summer. I went away for the North/South Junior Championship, and then they sent me to golf school. Brad Faxon came down later right at the end of the summer and did a clinic for us. And after that I thought that was the coolest thing: a PGA Tour player coming and giving us a clinic. That was pretty neat. And then after that, I don't remember picking up a tennis racket. It was all golf from there on out.

MICHAEL SIMS: I think I was around 13. 12, 13.

MICHAEL SIMS: No. This was in Bermuda, yeah. I didn't go to boarding school until I was 16.

MICHAEL SIMS: Take it one step at a time. I really couldn't -- I'm not going to forecast what's going to happen here, because you never know.

MICHAEL SIMS: That's right. Birdies, eagles, maybe a few pars.

MICHAEL SIMS: Thank you very much, guys.