Michael Sims’s bid to regain a PGA Tour card suffered a setback during yesterday’s penultimate round of the Second Stage of Q-School at the Plantation Preserve Golf Club in Florida.

Bermuda’s top golfer shot a disappointing three-over-par 74 to leave himself with plenty to do heading into today’s final round if he is to advance to the Final Stage of Q-School next month.

Sims is tied for 49th with a 54-hole total of one-under-par 212, five shots adrift of where he needs to be to advance to next month’s final stage.

Only the top 20 and ties will progress beyond the Second Stage.

Sims’s disappointing round contained five bogeys and two birdies, which he rolled in at the par-five 1st and 10th holes.

Yesterday’s showing was a far cry from the sizzling six-under-par 65 that the former Nationwide Tour player carded the previous day to thrust himself in the hunt for the available qualifying positions. With everything still left to play for, the Georgian-based 34-year-old will have to be at his absolute best over the final 18 holes if he is to make a late surge up the leaderboard and fulfil his qualifying mission.

Sims overcame the first hurdle on his quest to regain a PGA Tour card for next season after finishing tied for 22nd at last month’s First Stage of Q-School at the Lantana Golf Club in Texas.

Arizona resident Nathan Tyler (194) carded yesterday’s lowest round, an eight-under-par 63, to open a three-shot cushion over nearest rival Dan Berger (197), of Florida, at the top of the leaderboard.

Another Florida resident, Nick Lindheim (198), is a further shot back in third.

Sims earned a year’s exemption on the former Nationwide Tour in 2006 before losing his Tour card the next year.

Since then, he has had to rely on partial exemption to play on the Web.com Tour, where he finished 123rd on this year’s Tour money list with $30,201 in earnings.