Doug Ghim smiled as Austin Smotherman looked into the Utah sky afterward wins his first PGA Tour event in 100 starts. There was no pain on Ghim’s face after his attempt to win his first title in 192 starts fell short. There was only gratitude that he is still grinding and chasing his dreams on the highest golf circuit in the world.
“It’s what we play for; it’s what we practice for,” Ghim said after finishing two shots behind Smotherman on Sunday at the Bank of Utah Championship. “Obviously the money and the points are fantastic, but as a kid trying to win a PGA Tour event, just a chance to do this is a dream that has come true. … We were really excited just to play the courses that the professionals played, and I think that, as 30 years old, to have done this for my seventh season and to have an opportunity like today and in the past, I hope I have more in the future, and I hope more. privilege
“Today was Austin’s day. I did everything I could, and hopefully I’ll learn from some of the mistakes and be a little more comfortable next time. But still thankful.”
Now 30, Ghim has been pushing toward a PGA Tour victory since earning full-time privileges for the 2020 season. A maiden victory has eluded him, but he has made 116 of 192 cuts in seven seasons and earned more than $10 million on the course. While Smotherman left Utah with a trophy, a two-year PGA Tour exemption, and a spot in the 2028 Championship Series, Ghim’s week was not for nothing. He entered the week 89th in the FedEx Cup Fall standings, but his second-place finish pushed him back into the top 60, putting him in position to keep his card and earn spots in the first two Signature Events of 2027 if he finishes strong. The dream is still alive and well for Doug Ghim.
As the Utah Bank Championship concluded on Sunday, one thing was on full display. These months on the PGA Tour are different. The best in the world are mostly at home or in Europe, leaving the rest to pursue a different grind with different goals. Winning is always the biggest prize and can be career-changing if you can get to the line like Smotherman did. But for many, the goals are smaller and more nuanced than the all-or-nothing title chase. For many, it’s about maintaining some sort of status on the PGA Tour for 2027. For some, like Ghim, who entered the fall in the top 100, it’s about establishing a strong start to 2027 while chasing a trophy.
But right behind Ghim in the leaderboard in Utah, there were two other players who were chasing something different – a breath and a feeling.
David Ford was a college star in North Carolina who earned his PGA Tour card by finishing No. 1 in the PGA Tour University rankings last season. But Ford struggled after earning his card last year and then battled tendinitis and an impingement in his ankle earlier this season, which caused him to miss three months. Ford returned to action at the first fall event in Asheville and missed the cut. But he found something at Black Desert Resort, going 65-64 on the weekend to finish T3 and move from 158 to 124 in the FedEx Cup Fall standings with six events remaining.
“It’s been a good week,” Ford said Sunday. “I was on medicine all summer, so my expectations were pretty low. I love the golf course, but I was just trying not to get ahead of myself and see how my body feels before the week. So if I feel good, I’ll try to make a run at the head come the weekend. I’m just thankful to play. I didn’t have high expectations, but I had expectations to win. I didn’t really know where my body is really grateful to be in a position in the top 10.
Ford will have status next year regardless of its finish. If he lands outside the top 100, he can use a medical extension. But now he is within shouting distance of finishing in the top 100 and he doesn’t need it. Either way, Ford hopes to find his game in the next six weeks. While he does so, it will be mission accomplished in the fall.
“I think I’ll get as many points as possible in the fall,” Ford said. “Because I’m in medicine, I think I hope that some beginnings next year. It would obviously be fantastic to close my card before the end of the fall. If I played great the last five events, it would be amazing. I’m really just trying to celebrate this week. … Just take the events as they come and continue to improve.”
Trace Crowe, who finished T3 alongside Ford, is in the same boat. The 29-year-old missed the first 11 events of the year with a broken wrist and struggled throughout the summer as he tried to find his game. Crowe made eight of 13 cuts and had just three top-25 finishes, finishing 153rd in the FedEx Cup standings. But he carded a T38 at the Wyndham and finished T24 at the first fall event in Asheville. In Utah, Crowe led the field in Strokes Gained: Approach and is now 117th in the standings, as he does not need to use his major medical extension in 2027.
“The whole point of playing this fall is we’re going to try not to have to use our medicine next year and just try to get it right next fall,” Crowe said. “I keep doing what I’m doing, and I should be fine.”
He won’t be in the limited Baycurrent Classic field in Japan this week, but plans to get back on the horse for the Butterfield Bermuda Championship in three weeks. With his game finally trending, Crowe knows this is the time to capitalize on an improving tee-to-green game that is finding its level after recovering from a broken wrist.
As Smotherman celebrated a victory 10 years in the making, Crowe smiled and uttered what could be the unofficial slogan for the FedEx Cup fall season and the career-defining action.
“I played everything until they said we couldn’t play anymore,” Crowe said.
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