Doug Ghim will head into the weekend at the John Deere Classic with a very real chance of winning his first ever PGA Tour event.
Ghim made history on the PGA Tour during his first round at the John Deere Classic by becoming only the fourth man to shoot a round of 62 whilst losing more than half a stroke on the field on the greens.
The 29-year-old is searching for his first win on the PGA Tour in what is the 163rd start of his career at TPC Deere Run this week.
Ghim holds a one-shot lead over five players heading into day three, including a resurgent Max Homa.
The 2017 U.S. Amateur runner-up followed up his 62 with a very solid round of three-under par 68.
However, he will probably have to shoot somewhere between those two numbers on Saturday and Sunday if he is to be triumphant at the John Deere Classic.
Doug Ghim admits what he finds ‘intimidating’ about the PGA Tour
Ghim is always very honest when speaking to the media about his game and life on tour in general.
After he shot a solid round of 68 on day two at TPC Deere Run, the 29-year-old opened up on the challenges he faces on the PGA Tour at times.
Photo by David Berding/Getty Images
Ghim responded when asked about his recent caddie change, and explained just how important his man on the bag is for him.
He said: “Yeah, we just really started working together. I think our first start together was in Canada. He’s a good friend of mine. Used to caddie for Chan Kim. He’s one of my best friends out here and have spent a lot of time with him in the last couple of years just playing practice rounds with Chan.
“We have a lot of fun and that’s very important to me. Tech is a very good player himself, so it’s important to keep it light out here. We’re out here for four and a half to five hours at a time. It gets pretty intense out there, especially on the weekends and when you’re in contention.
“It gets pretty intimidating sometimes, so to have a friend and someone that you can laugh with is always important. We had a blast.“
Ghim had better brace himself for the two days ahead, because the intimidation factor is set to increase exponentially over the course of the weekend, with so much on the line for everyone in contention.
Doug Ghim’s best finish on the PGA Tour
Ghim’s best ever result on the PGA Tour came in October 2024 at the Shriners Children’s Open in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The 29-year-old missed out by a solitary shot to J.T. Poston at TPC Summerlin, but he should take great encouragement from the final round in Vegas.
Ghim has opened up on the intimidation factor, so he must have been really feeling it during the final round of the Shriners Children’s Open.
He went blow for blow with Poston, and fired a final round of six-under par 65. Under the pressure of being in contention, Ghim did anything but wane.
And he should remember that during the final two rounds of the John Deere Classic, as he hunts down his first ever PGA Tour win.
