Doug Ghim

Ghim first started hitting golf balls at the age of 5, and three months later at six won his first tournament in the 10-12 age division. He got his start from his father Jeff, who after growing up in South Korea moved to America and picked up a club for the first time at age 30. It took Jeff six months to become a single-digit handicap and he was thinking of playing professionally until disaster hit him. One morning he woke up and couldn't move. Doctors later determined that he needed a laminectomy, his first of three back surgeries.
After that, Jeff didn't play much golf and focused on teaching the game to others. Doug was his most promising student. The family, though, fell on hard times and Doug's parents couldn't afford for him to play or even enter any tournaments in the Chicago area, near their home in Arlington Heights, Ill. But Doug wanted to play golf and Jeff built a hitting bay in their backyard. For a long time, all Doug did was hit balls into a net. A couple of years later, the Ghims discovered that the Arboretum Club in Buffalo Grove had a very reasonable twilight rate. Jeff would pick up his son from school and they would go to the course and play 18 holes before dark. Soon afterward, the American Junior Golf Association offered a grant program. Ghim played in his freshman year at Buffalo Grove High School, but as a sophomore, he got an invitation to play in the AJGA's Ping Invitational in Stillwater, Okla. He spent the last three years of his high school career playing in big junior events across the country and he found success. In 2011, he was the medalist at the Illinois State Junior. He also won numerous other junior events, and at the 2013 U.S. Junior Amateur, reached the semifinals before falling to Scottie Scheffler, the eventual champion. He had more success the next year in another USGA event when he advanced to the final of the 2014 U.S. Amateur Public Links and stood on the 36th tee with a 1-up lead. But he hit his drive out of bounds and lost a playoff to Byron Meth on the first hole. The loss was tough because only the winner received an invitation to play in the Masters. But the good news was that colleges took notice of Ghim. He chose to play for the Texas Longhorns, mostly because of the good weather and to major in economics and minor in business.
Here is a listing of honors and awards that Ghim won in his four-year career at Texas:
2018 Ben Hogan Award winner; 2018 NCAA Raleigh Regional medalist;
2018 Big 12 Championship medalist; 2018 Jack Nicklaus Award semifinalist;
2018 Fred Haskins Award watch list; 2018 All-Big 12; 2018 Big 12 Tournament Team; 2017 Andeavor Sun Bowl All-American Classic Champion;
2017 Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate medalist; 2017 Big 12 Player of the Year; 2017 Golfweek All-America First Team; 2017 PING All-America Second Team; 2017 PING All-Region; 2017 All-Big 12; 2017 Jack Nicklaus Award semifinalist; 2017 Arnold Palmer Cup selection; 2017 Ben Hogan Award Watch List; 2016 Palmer Cup selection; 2016 PING All-America Second Team;
2016 Golfweek Second Team All-America; 2016 Jack Nicklaus Award semifinalist; 2016 All-Big 12; 2015 PING All-America Honorable Mention;
2015 All-Freshman Team; 2015 All-Big 12 First Team
At the 2017 U.S. Amateur at Riviera, Ghim was playing in his fourth Amateur. He came into the championship on a roll, having won the Pacific Coast Amateur a couple of weeks before. With his father on his bag, he got through stroke play easily, finishing T-8th. Ghim won his first match 4 & 3, then surrendered his 1-up lead to Sahith Theegala on the 17th hole, but came back to win with a par at the 19th hole. He won the round of 16, 3 & 2, then won in the quarterfinals 2 & 1 over Connor Syme. While progressing through each match, he realized how much his game had improved thanks to the tutoring of his father, his only golf teacher.
Ghim realized the importance of his semifinal match against Theo Humphrey. For the second time in three years, he was one win away from getting an invitation to play in the Masters. Ghim played well, and by the 12th hole built up a 4-up lead. But his confidence was tested when Humphrey won the 14th and 16th holes. Ghim struggled a bit on the par-5 17th hole and left himself a downhill five-and-a-half-foot putt for par. Humphrey missed his birdie putt, giving Ghim a chance to win. He hit his putt perfectly and it dropped into the center of the hole. After an instinctive fist pump and a yell of celebration, he embraced Jeff who told his son, "We're going to the Masters!"
In the 36-hole final against Doc Redman, the match was close as neither player held a lead larger than 2-up. But when Redman missed an eight-foot par putt on the 34th hole, Ghim was 2-up with two holes to play. Redman rallied to square the match by making a 60-foot putt from the back of the green for an eagle on the par-5 17th, then an eight-footer for birdie on the 36th hole. Ghim had putts for birdie on No. 17 and for par on No. 18 but never got the chance to make any of them. On the 37th hole, the famous 315-yard 10th at Riviera, Redman hit a big drive just in front of the green. Ghim hooked a 3-wood into the rough. From there, Ghim put his second shot into a bunker and then hit his third shot into another bunker. When he missed his bogey putt, he conceded the victory to Redman.
Despite the loss, his performance earned a spot on the USA Walker Cup team where he won all four of the matches in which he played. Ghim not only got an invite to the Masters, but he can also play in the U.S. Open if he is still an amateur.
At the Masters, Ghim had two eagles which earned him two pairs of crystal goblets, awarded to players that eagle a hole during the Masters. Since Ghim was the only amateur to make the cut, he got low amateur honors for his 50th place finish.
Ghim ended his career at Teas winning the Ben Hogan Award as the best male college golfer. Ghim's father Jeff caddied for him at the Masters and is supposed to caddie for Doug at the U.S. Open.