Michael Sims played his last two rounds in seven-over par to slip from fifth to tied for 36th at the Peek n’ Peak Classic in New York over the weekend — although his caddie Tom Giles insisted last night the Bermudian’s game was still headed firmly in the right direction.

The 28-year-old began Saturday’s third round at six-under for the tournament and apparently well placed to better his career-best finish of 19th which came the week before last at the Knoxville Open in Tennessee.

But strong, blustery winds and increasingly firm greens made life on the 7,120-yard Peek n’ Peak Country Club course extremely challenging for the golfers teeing off in the afternoon on Saturday — with Sims’ three-over par 75 reflective of the quite dramatic shift in conditions from the opening two rounds.

Trying to repair the damage in yesterday’s final round, the former Bermuda Open champion again struggled — carding a four-over 76 to finish the event at one-over and collect a cheque for just over $3,000.

Speaking from the Findley Lake course yesterday, caddie Giles said both he and his employer were “satisfied” with the performance despite two consecutive rounds over par.

“The conditions got a lot tougher over the weekend, particularly for the guys teeing off in the afternoon like, and I think the scores reflect that,” he said. “So considering all the things working against him I thought he hung in there well. From our perspective, overall it’s been another good week, another cut made and we can build from here.”

Having caddied for Sims — his former college team-mate on the University of Rhode Island’s golf team — pretty much non-stop since the former Bermuda Open champion qualified for the Nationwide Tour at Q-School last December, Giles is in a unique position to assess the prospects of his great friend and travelling companion.

Asked yesterday to explain Sims’ recent spike in form after a difficult first five months on the Nationwide Tour, Giles pinpointed the improvements he has made to his short game in recent weeks.

“His short game has definitely been a lot sharper,” Giles said.

“He’s made a couple of technical adjustments which I think are paying dividends around the greens while his course management is getting better every week

“He’s trying to keep it in the fairways a little more, be a little more conservative off the tee and get the shot placement right. We’re trying to be a little more flexible with the strategy as well.

“One of the disadvantages of being a rookie is that you often only get one practice round on the course you’re playing. So while you might take a driver on a particular hole during the practice round, you’ll turn up in the tournament and all of a sudden the winds in completely the other direction.

“That can sometimes mean up to say a 60-yard difference in club selection for the day, so you have to be flexible with your placement and your strategy and I think Mike is gradually getting to grips with that.

“In general though we’re very happy with the week. He’s got the ability and is doing all the right things to progress, so it’s just a matter of being patient and continuing to work hard.

“The season is a marathon — I’m not even sure if we’re halfway through yet. So the important thing for Mike is to put the first few months out of his mind and keep focusing on what he’s doing week to week.

“There’s a long time still to go. He’s in his first year on the Nationwide Tour and he’s definitely on the right path.”

Next week, Sims will be at the $525,000 Legend Financial Group Classic in Highland Heights, Ohio.