Life as a professional golfer is proving quite challenging for Bermuda's Michael Sims.

On Monday, he failed to make the cut in a qualifier for the Buy.com Tour Arkansas Classic and disappointedly returned to North Carolina to practise before his next qualifier in Greenville, South Carolina.

While he will want to forget the Arkansas outing, the 23-year-old will want to remember another event earlier this month which was a landmark in his fledgling career as a pro. On April 7, he tied for 28th in the NGA/Hooters Tour event at Deer Brook Golf Club in Shelby, North Carolina, and earned his first golf cheque - $887.50.

"It was pretty cool. It's always nice when you make a little money. It's a different feeling on the golf course knowing that silly little mistakes cost you - literally. It really hurts. You know what every shot means," recalled Sims, speaking to The Royal Gazette as he prepared for the Arkansas qualifier.

Assessing his North Carolina performance, in which he totalled three-over-par 291 (74, 71, 76 and 70), he said he played "all right" though two particular holes troubled him.

"I struggled on the 10th and 18th holes twice. They really got me."

In addition, Sims suffered a recurrence of the Achilles heel problem which afflicts both his legs. However, once making his first cut as a professional, he was determined to play.

"I am pleased. It was the first cut I made and it was good to get that out of the way. I wasn't nervous but my left Achilles was bothering me. It's something that happens in both my Achilles every once in a while. They get really tight and swollen. It's a struggle to walk and I can't put a lot of weight on them."

Since the treatment for this condition is simply to rest and ice the affected area, it means the University of Rhode Island senior will have to continue contending with the problem as he charts his course on the greens.

For the next month, life will be a blur of travelling, teeing off and putting as Sims competes in a string of qualifiers, hoping for better results than he had on Monday.

After South Carolina, he plays in Virginia Beach before a US Open qualifier in Connecticut on May 6. Then it's on to Buy.com qualifiers on May 13 and May 20.

"There's generally a couple of hundred people trying out and they take the top 14 for the Buy.com. It's going to be tough. Hopefully I can get on a good run and have something happen for me," he said optimistically.