A bad day with the putter left Michael Sims languishing near the bottom of the leaderboard after a first round two-over par 74 at the Moonah Classic in Australia.

Sims, whose four bogeys and two birdies all came on the back nine, had 31 putts yesterday, taking almost two a hole when he hit the green in regulation at the 7,469-yard Moonah Links course in Fingal, Victoria.

Level par for the front nine, back-to-back bogeys at ten and 11 put Sims in a hole, and although he got a shot back at 12, he dropped it immediately at 13. Sims might still have rescued his round following another birdie at 14, and a run of three pars thereafter that stopped the bleeding, but a fourth bogey at the par-five 18 undid all that good work.

And the Bermudian will now face a fight to make the cut after Jim Herman shot a course-record 10-under par 62 to take a four-shot lead going into the second round.

The American was the best of the afternoon, overtaking Australian Andre Stolz, whose 66 from the morning had led much of the day. Americans Jim Carter and Bobby MacWhinnie and Australian Paul Sheehan were tied for third with 67s in the jointly sanctioned US Nationwide and Australasian PGA tour event.