He isn’t setting the world alight just yet, but Michael Sims produced a solid round of one-under par yesterday to finish tied for 74th at PGA Tour Q School in California with three rounds still to go.

The 27-year-old is now at plus-two for the tournament in La Quinta, some seven shots off the top 30 and ties needed to gain his PGA Tour card but still on the cusp of qualifying for a place on the Nationwide Tour next year. Sims has now produced rounds of 72, 75 and 71 over the course of the last three days and will know that only a succession of sub-70 rounds will allow him to threaten the top 30 in any meaningful way.

The 2005 Bermuda Open champion began yesterday’s round on the Jack Nicklaus tournament course in a tie for 71st, before reeling off four straight pars and the bogeying the par-four fifth. A birdie on the par-four ninth got him back to even for the day, before he slipped again one hole later by bogeying the 11th.

Birdies on the 12th, 14th and 15th saw him work up some decent momentum and move to two-under for the round, before a frustrating bogey on the last took the gloss off a generally positive day.

Australian Paul Gow — who shot a remarkable seven-under yesterday — leads Q school’s six-round final stage on 13-under, two shots clear of his nearest rivals.