Being just 12 years old, Thomas Lim can't apply for a driver's license for four years. On the golf course, however, Lim is already making adults sit up and take notice.

Lim, who lives in Moorpark, is one of the nation's top-ranked junior players for his age group (26th for players who will graduate high school in 2013).

Last month, Lim decided to take a break from competing against kids his own age so he could play in the annual Simi Valley City Golf Championship.

Lim's handicap of 5.5 put him in the A Flight. His friend Kevin Santos, 16, caddied for him.

On the first tee prior to Sunday's final round, Chris Prendergast, one of the other players in the group, stepped up to Santos and introduced himself, believing Santos was his competition.

"Kevin said Hi, I'm his (Thomas') caddie,' " Lim said. "Then Chris looked at me and said, "You're playing?' It was funny. I had a good time and everyone was really nice to me."

The adults were nicer to Lim than he was to them. Lim said he felt very little pressure playing against adults, but he thought a lot of the older players felt pressure trying to beat the kid.

As it turned out, only one adult was able to beat him. Lim tied Mike Johnnie for first place with a net 134, but the pre-teen lost the title in a card-off.

Despite not winning the title, Lim's play opened plenty of eyes. If his handicap was not factored in, he still would have shot 4 over for the two days.

Playing against older players is nothing new to Lim. He started playing when he just turned 3. He received a plastic set of golf clubs from one of his dad's friends and he instantly starting knocking plastic golf balls around the house.

Sensing his son's interest, Francis Lim cut down an old 5-wood and had his son start hitting real golf balls.

During his first time at the Elkins Ranch driving range, Lim was hitting the ball so pure his father asked one of the teaching professionals if what he was doing was normal.

"They told me he was doing a lot better than most kids that age," Francis Lim said.

As time progressed, Lim's interest in the game continued to increase. Francis Lim signed his son up for lessons with teaching professional Dave Tucker, who works at Rustic Canyon.

Thomas Lim spent a year taking lessons before beginning to compete at age 6.

Because there were tournaments for kids his own age, Lim was forced to play against players who were at least 11.

Lacking the strength to keep up with his competition, Lim struggled for several years just to keep his head above water.

It was a difficult time, one where he continually told his dad how much he hated him because he didn't like losing.

Finally at age 9, Lim started to exact his revenge on the competition, winning tournaments and showing all those around him he has the skills needed to succeed.

He also got a little revenge on his dad, as he beat him in golf for the first time.

"All those years he was getting beat, I kept telling him to be patient, but I don't think he understood what I meant until he started winning," Francis Lim said.

"When he was younger he would tell me how hard the courses were, but once he turned 9 he would tell me how easy they were. It just took him time to grow into things."

Early on, Francis Lim told his son to focus on shooting the best score he could, rather than trying to beat his competitors. It's a philosophy that has worked well, even now when he has the ability to beat everyone in the field.

By the time Thomas turned 10, he was consistently shooting scores around 5 over. The improvement has continued.

Now working with Simi Valley resident Tony Kewal, Lim has developed a strong short game.

He averages close to 220 yards off the tee, but can reaches distances of 240 and 250.

For the last several years Lim has been playing many of the junior tours in Southern California, including the Southern California PGA Tour and the Ventura County Junior Golf Association Tour.

Lim will be part of the VCJGA's team that competes later this fall in the Loren Roberts Cup Junior Championship. The VCJGA team will compete against teams from Northern and Central California.

"I enjoy the competition," Lim said. "I like the adrenalin rush. And it's fun to see the places we go (for tournaments) and meet the other kids."

This past summer he qualified for the Junior World, one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world.

Playing in the 11-12 division at Lake San Marcos Country Club in San Diego, Lim finished the three-day event tied for 24th in a 90-player field. That was even more impressive, considering the first day he shot 80.

Lim bounced back to play the next 36 holes at 1 under — and was the only player to shoot 80 in a round and make the cut.

"I just went back to the course and putted for two hours and tried to get more used to the greens," Lim said. "Nothing worked when I shot 8 over, but the next two days everything was working."

Lim hopes to eventually play some American Junior Golf Association events.

His ultimate dream is playing on the PGA Tour, but first there's a matter of turning 13 and attending high school and college.

"I enjoy everything about golf," Lim said. "It's really fun."