Arlington Heights teen headed toward PGA

There's a silent spectacle that envelops the first tee before a golfer starts his backswing.

Doug Ghim thrives in it.

Surrounded by a sea of college recruiters and some of the best young players in the world, all eyes zero in on the 15-year-old as his driver strikes the ball, propelling it nearly 300 yards down the center of the fairway as bits of green sod are sent airborne.

The Arlington Heights teen exhales tension, dries his sweaty palms and refuses to crack under pressure, though he's fully aware that the flight of the ball and his overall performance at the 94th Western Junior Championship could put him either one giant step closer to — or farther from — earning a rare but coveted PGA Tour card.

“You learn to embrace moments like that,” Doug said. “You'd rather feel the pressure knowing you have a chance to win than having no pressure and not even being in contention.”

In a place that's become quite familiar to him, the world's eighth-best golfer of the 2014 graduating class, as ranked by Golfweek magazine, found his way toward the top of the leader board that June day at the Beverly Country Club with an 11th-place finish out of an international pool of 156 players.

Making the feat all the more impressive was that it was Doug's first 72-hole tournament and that he had to get an exemption to play with the 16- to 19-year-olds. The Buffalo Grove High School incoming sophomore placed higher than anyone from Illinois and ended up seven strokes behind the winner.

That four-day stretch of golf, playing in one of the country's oldest and most prestigious junior tournaments alongside players from France, Australia and elsewhere, was among the most special Doug has experienced thus far.

It's the kind of performance that prepared him for his first Professional Golf Association event last month at the 62nd Illinois Open Championship at Hawthorn Woods Country Club, where Doug — the youngest amateur of the bunch, with a 1.3 handicap — survived the cut after two rounds of play and finished tied for 37th out of more than 150 golfers.

“Everyone treated me as just another competitor, but after the round they were like, ‘You're about my son's age,'” Doug said. “It was really cool to play with such a diverse and older field.”

The roots of Doug's cool, calm and collected approach on the links were first planted at Twin Lakes in Palatine when he was about 5 years old. Joined by his dad, uncle and older sister at the driving range, he hit the ball dead-center, 70 yards out on his first swing — and the next, and the next.

His love for the game was immediate. Hours of practice each day followed, as did the Golf Channel, magazines and a makeshift driving range in the backyard.

Doug begged his dad to let him play in tournaments. But Jeff Ghim, himself a former golfer and current professional instructor, knew his son wasn't ready.

“I see a lot of kids, they don't want to practice. Everybody needs a solid foundation first,” said Jeff, who moved to the Chicago area from South Korea in 1993. “If someone doesn't have solid foundation, he's weak. One day good, one day bad.”

Doug finally was allowed to enter a tournament at age 12, which, of course, he won. And his dedication doesn't interfere with school, where he takes honors classes and brings home A's and B's.

He often plays with his dad as his caddie. They try to remain spiritual and talk every shot through different scenarios.

“We consult on every shot, we read putts, we discuss yardages, we try to weigh out whether a risk is worth taking or whether to lay up and deal with it on the next shot,” Doug said of the only golf teacher he's ever had. “I always ask for his advice.”

Sure, Doug has gone through slumps and wanted to stop, but he said his parents always support him, telling him to build off positive energy and to realize the struggles ultimately will make him a stronger person and golfer.

Doug has grown into a fierce but always affable competitor, according to Illinois Junior Golf Association Executive Director Carrie Williams, whose group represents 2,300 young golfers. He won seven of 10 IJGA events last year.

“He's a composed and mature golfer who has the ability to keep a smile on his face throughout his round no matter what kind of shot he's hit,” Williams said. “And he maintains that top-level competition whether paired with junior peers or adults alike.”

Doug and his dad currently are weighing whether he'll be able to continue playing on his high school golf team. He'd like to climb a couple notches from his third-place finish at state last fall, but he'd miss important tournaments to play with his most elite peers at junior invitationals in Florida and Oklahoma.

It would be just one more in a series of sacrifices Doug has made for his passion, as other sports, down time and a normal social life have gone by the wayside.

But participating and producing on a national stage like that is key to securing a spot on a top college golf team, and maybe one day a spot on the PGA Tour playing at Augusta National next to athletes he's grown up idolizing.

“You look at Tiger Woods and he does miraculous things,” Doug said. “It makes me pick up my clubs and wonder if I can do that, too. Is it even possible?”

Ÿ Kimberly Pohl wrote today's column. She and Elena Ferrarin always are looking for Suburban Standouts to profile. If you know of someone whose story just wows you, please send a note including name, town, email and phone contacts for you and the nominee to standouts@dailyherald.com or call our Standouts hotline at (847) 608-2733.

Standout: Golfer won his first tournament at 12

Doug Ghim

<B>Age:</B> 15

<B>Hometown: </B>Arlington Heights

<B>School: </B>Buffalo Grove High School

<B>Who inspires you? </B>My father inspired me to be who I am today. He taught me how to persevere through hardships no matter the circumstance, and he also is the reason why I have good work ethic.

<B>What's on your iPod? </B>I listen to everything, from country to rap music. My favorite rap artist is Eminem and my favorite band is The Fray.

<B>What book are you reading? </B>Again, I read many different books. I read the “Harry Potter” series, “The Great Gatsby,” “Of Mice and Men” and “Fahrenheit 451.”

<B>Three words that best describe you? </B>Athletic, sincere and hardworking.