BEACH PONTE VEDRA, Fla. – Doug Ghim knows what you’re thinking. He’s competing for third place at the Players Tournament, three hits back, and you have no idea who he is. To be fair, some of the fans here at TPC Sawgrass weren’t either. He was a bit annoyed by the play partner in his third round, Sungjae Im.
At the very least Im should be a well-known product – PGA Rookie of the Year, Tour winner, Masters runner, top-20 player. Ghim has none of these things. He is a fourth year pro still trying to find his way. It is 257th in the world rankings, shared between Lee Hodges and Chase Seiffert. Although a decorated amateur, he only manages one top-10 in 41 starting positions. With a chance to win last week at Bay Hill, he closed with 81. If not for the pandemic, he would be preparing for next week’s Korn Ferry Tour event.
“I have the same opportunity as everyone else,” said Ghim, although he pulled a place in the group last Sunday but drew only three reporters for the semi-final press.
“I’m sure there are some weird things that say other players have a better chance, but at the end of the day, no defense is played on my ball any more than anyone else, like that if I play like I know how to play, and if I play like I did today, I do not see why I could not win. ”
The top 7 on the board features house names with 105 professional trophies, two major competition titles and a seemingly no Ryder Cup trophy, so Ghim was right about the weird ideas – he’s third on the dashboard but seventh place on the odds boards, at +1800. He knows he’s a flier, just lucky to compete for one of the biggest prizes in golf.
Ghim, 24, was an All-American at Texas who lost heartbreak in the 2017 U.S. Amateur finals and was one of the good stories of the ’19 Korn Ferry Tour Finals final, when e below par putt on the last hole to win one of the last available cards. He had the same season (shortened) on the infertile tour, finishing 184th in FedExCup points, which would normally be sent back to the little ones. The Tour brought him and the other struggling members to life, extending membership by another year due to the pandemic.
That gave Gim the freedom to work with a new team: swing coach Drew Steckel, coaching coach Paul Vizank and mind coach Jared Tendler. Heck, Ghim was even hiring a nutritionist. In his rookie season he noticed a big difference between his scoring average in the morning and afternoon, and would often feel jittery on the first tee. “Going away at 2pm with no fans and with the certification on Monday, you have to create your own energy,” said Ghim. So he cuts out processed sugars, eats every two hours and relies on protein bars and shakes. Now, his early and late scoring averages are almost identical.
The other parts of his game saw an uptick, too. He changed drivers. He cleaned his iron play. He started to make more putts. Rated 155th in the overall stats won by the Tour last season, he is now 33rd, with a few inspiring performances, including a link for a fifth at the American Express in January.
The top of The Players dashboard is filled with players with better views. Turning 48 next month, Lee Westwood is living his best life, unaware of consequences and enjoying the presence of his girlfriend / caddy. Jon Rahm is going to be a father for the first time. After recovering from alcoholism, Chris Kirk no longer lives and dies with all his looks.
Gim Sunday’s biggest win isn’t to be found on the stats page, either.
“Part of the scary thing is that you realize how difficult it is to put yourself in this situation,” he said, “but if I want to dream and be as much of a player as I am. i want to be, i have to believe i will be back here at some point. If it goes well, great. If not, I will use this as fuel to get back here. “
Ghim took the lead alone on Saturday after recording one of only five birdies on the 14thth toll. If he was nervous, he didn’t show it. His hands certainly weren’t shaking as he played lifting sticks when his ball found the pine straw on 16. “Surgery!” he mocked his chaddy, Micah Fugitt, dropping a few loose pieces around his ball.
“It was very comfortable out there today,” said Fugitt. “He was having an explosion and even mentioned twice what fun he was having.”
Wasn’t that a surprise, for someone in his career?
“Not at all,” he said. “I think it’s just getting more comfortable. I expect it to do very well tomorrow. ”
It is very likely that many others will share that hope. Westwood is a grim veteran who has won all over the world. Bryson DeChambeau ‘s brawny game threatens to get over the Tour. Justin Thomas has won 13 Tour events and is ranked 3rd in the world. In the richest tournament in golf, on one of the toughest versions, they’re not going to worry about Doug Ghim – and that’s okay with it.
“I feel I can win,” he said. “I’m not going to say yes. I’m not even going to say I like my chances. But I know I can do it. I know it is possible. ”