EUGENE Sim has a headache which most people would not mind having.

The amateur golfer won a hole-in-one prize of a Mercedes Benz E200 Kompressor at a charity golf event at the Seletar Country Club last Friday.

He aced the 173-metre, par-three 11th hole with a seven-iron at the Telok Blangah Community Centre-Far East Organisation Golf Tournament 2007.

So what's the headache about, one may ask? You see, Sim happens to be only 14 years old. He is enrolled in the golf academy at the Singapore Sports School.

Under the Singapore Golf Association's policy on amateur status, rule 3-2b states that 'an amateur golfer must not accept a hole-in-one prize of retail value of more than $1,500'.

If the value of the prize is between $1,500 and $15,000, the golfer must give up his amateur status for one year.

In Sim's case, he has to forfeit his amateur status for two years since the value of the car is worth more than $15,000.

That means he cannot take part in junior and amateur tournaments, which renders his place at the Singapore Sports School redundant.

Following the two-year period, he can then apply to the SGA's rules sub-committee for reinstatement of his amateur status.

The other option is to donate the car to charity, which will allow him to keep his amateur status.

Right now, Sim is torn between the two options.

He told The New Paper: 'I really don't know what to do now.

'I can't pass the car to my father because it is non-transferable.

'I don't have a licence, so I'll probably sell the car. I could then use the money to further my golf education overseas.

DISTRACTIONS

'Losing my amateur status may not be a bad idea. I can fully concentrate on improving my game without any distractions.

'The only downside is that I cannot take part in any competition.

'On the other hand, I need to keep my amateur status if I want to stay at the Sports School.

'I'm faced with the dilemma of whether I should keep the car or donate it to charity.'

He had no such dilemma when he stood on the tee box of the 11th hole last Friday.

After taking a good look at the pin position, he whipped out a seven-iron and blasted the ball to about six feet before it took a bounce and rolled into the cup.

Sim was playing in the same flight with his businessman father, uncle and cousin.

He said: 'When my friends playing in the flight behind me told me that my ball had gone in, I didn't believe them.

'The probability of a hole-in-one is one in a million. I just wanted to put the ball somewhere close to the pin.

'It was only after I picked the ball up from the hole that I realised I had a hole-in-one.'

It was the first hole-in-one for the 1.9-handicapper, who picked up golf at the age of six.

It is believed that Sim is the third golfer this year to win a hole-in-one prize of a Mercedes Benz at a golf event.

The other two aces were registered on the 12th hole of the Palm Course at the Raffles Country Club Charity Open on 8 July and on the eighth hole of the Singapore Island Country Club's Island Course at the ACI Singapore Charity Golf on 27 July.

Sim said: 'It wasn't difficult to decide on my club selection for that hole.

'Now, I have to make the most difficult decision of my life between keeping the car and losing my amateur status.'