ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – Doug Ghim is no stranger to the bubble. He’s had his back against the wall as a professional too often to count, on the PGA Tour, Korn Ferry Tour, wherever. When he missed the cut two years ago at the RSM Classic, he slammed his trunk at No. 126 in the projected FedExCup standings, a spot out of retaining full status. Back home in Las Vegas, he tried not to peek at the weekend numbers but couldn’t refrain, sneaking away every few minutes for updates.
Eventually, with an hour left in Sunday’s final round, Ghim’s fiancée, Kelly, had finally had enough and told him he could flip on the coverage.
“Everything ended up going in the way that we needed it to, and I remember it being a pretty jubilant hour,” said Ghim, who kept his card by two spots. Ghim briefly paused, pondering how he now finds himself in a similar position – projected at No. 115 through three rounds of this week’s fall finale at Sea Island.
“If we were to somehow get through tomorrow,” Ghim continued, “I think it’d be the same feeling.”
In previous years, Ghim, 29, would be keeping full status comfortably. But just the top 100 players in points after this week will be fully exempt for 2026, so Ghim still has work to do. There is solace with Nos. 101-110 likely getting around 20 starts as conditional members, and Nos. 111-125 will get ample opportunity as well. After opening the RSM in 60, Ghim has slipped back to T-13. He needs at least a solo fourth to crack the top 100.
No matter where he lands Sunday evening, Ghim is content – even if it means dropping down a level.
“I have friends who are still trying to make it, playing in different continents, scrounging at anything they can get, and for me to feel so negative about [losing my card], it’s such a silly thing,” Ghim said, before adding, “If I want to be as good as I want to be and as good as I think that I am, I can handle going back to the Korn Ferry Tour.”
Sixth-year PGA TOUR pro Doug Ghim needs a solo fourth at minimum @TheRSMClassic for a chance to retain his exempt status.
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) November 22, 2025
If Ghim has a putt on the 72nd hole to keep his card, he'll be ready. At the 2019 @KornFerryTour Championship, after all, he delivered when it mattered most. pic.twitter.com/Doz7SjxDol
Not that Ghim isn’t trying to win this tournament. He admits he’s probably tried too hard this season, as he’s failed to record a top-10 finish and has once again been frustrated on the greens. After never finishing better than 150th in strokes gained putting, Ghim improved to No. 135 in that category last season, only to drop back to No. 176 entering the RSM.
The memory bank of putts made isn’t as bountiful for Ghim as most of his peers, but it’s not devoid, either. Ghim’s defining moment with the flatstick came in the final round of the 2019 Korn Ferry Tour Championship. That week remains the most nerve-racking of Ghim’s young career. He was less than year removed from capping a decorated amateur career at the University of Texas, and he entered that finale at Victoria National in Newburgh, Indiana, just four spots from his first PGA Tour card.
It all came down to a 10-foot par putt on his final hole, and he was so uneasy that his caddie, who had been cleaning Ghim’s ball, had to yell Ghim’s name multiple times to get his attention. “You need this,” the caddie told Ghim as he handed back the ball.
Ghim then promptly rolled in the curler and delivered a powerful, upper-cut fist pump. Video of that moment still circulates within Ghim’s inner circle. His coaches, instructor Boyd Summerhays and sports psych Bhrett McCabe, often use it as inspiration when Ghim needs a boost. If Ghim can make that putt, they tell him, he can handle anything.
“When it all hits the fan, I know that I can make that putt if I need to,” Ghim said. “I’ve done it, there’s video proof. I just have to remember that… Yeah, it’s nice to have that under my belt.
“If I have a putt like that tomorrow, I would consider that a success for the predicament that I’m in.”