June 18, 2001

EDITOR'S NOTE: PGATOUR.COM's "Life Beyond The Green" feature gives fans
a chance to catch up with players who may have disappeared from view.
Today's subject is Tim Simpson. Give us the names of other players you'd
like to see featured in the coming weeks.

By Nick Nicholas
PGATOUR.COM Contributor

In a perfect world, Tim Simpson still would be striking the ball in
machine-like fashion on the PGA TOUR.

Coming off back-to-back, top-10 seasons on the money list, though,
Simpson stumbled into a large dose of bad luck in 1991.

Don't give him sympathy. That makes it worse. Just
give this golf instructor more students with whom he
can share his swing thoughts.

"I keep it simple," said Simpson, who has battled
Lyme disease for the past decade. "Now, I can jump
up there and talk about the plane and angles and
nobody out there is going to lose me. But you don't
have to.

"I understand the golf swings -- whether it's mine,
yours, Tiger's (Woods) Davis' (Love III), or Mrs. Jones
who is a 30 handicap. I pride myself in being able to
communicate and keep it simple."

The 45-year-old Simpson started teaching full-time
this year in White Plains, Ga. He also is pushing
himself more and more in corporate outings.

But he should be on the PGA TOUR.

Simpson's bad luck started after he missed the cut in the 1991 Masters
and decided to go turkey hunting before what is now known as the
WORLDCOM CLASSIC. Somewhere between Augusta National Golf Club and
Harbour Town Golf Links, his golf career took a severe hit.

"There were these tiny ticks -- deer ticks, the size of a grain of
salt," Simpson recalled. "My chest looked as if someone dumped a whole
can of pepper on my chest. There were 200 or 300 on me.

"Within 36 hours Tuesday I called home and told my wife something is the
matter with me. I was shaking, had a fever and it just got worse and
worse and worse."

It took 18 months before doctors determines he had Lyme Disease.

"It basically ruined my career," said Simpson, who refrains from heavy
medication, using only Ibuprofen. "I have a lot of lingering illnesses
and muscle joint stiffness and a tremor in my left hand. It shakes and
that's what ultimately forced my decision to retire four years ago.

"I couldn't hit a routine chip shot and said to heck with that. I was so
down and frustrated from trying to come back for six years."

Simpson went from No. 8 on the 1990 money list to No. 85. In 1992 he
dropped to 144th. When Simpson retired he had pocketed more than $3
million in career earnings.

Neck and lower back problems have slowed him down lately, and he just
learned he must have surgery for a hernia.

"Other than that I'm{*filter*} in there," he said wryly.
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See the rest of the story at:

Simpson is devoted to the science of the swing, PGATOUR.COM, 18 Jun 01
http://www.***.com/ ,1977,4009183,00.html

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