"I'm going to miss amateur golf it is a lot of fun," said Ghim who will be playing in the Travelers Championship next week on a sponsors exemption. "It is playing for pride rather than a pay check. But I have always dreamed of being a professional golfer and I have had a pretty good run as an amateur."
In the field this week after finishing as the U.S. Amateur runner-up last year, Ghim recently completed a decorated career at Texas that included four individual wins (three during his senior year), low amateur honors at the Masters, the 2018 Ben Hogan Award and being apart of a winning Walker Cup team last September. And that is just the spark notes version of what he has accomplished.
"I feel like I have done almost everything that I have wanted to do and I am really excited to go to the next chapter of my golfing career," said Ghim standing near the Shinnecock Hills short game area.
Besides the accomplishments on the course Ghim has also experienced the camaraderie that comes with playing amateur golf and as he left the 18th hole on Monday that was on full display.
"The course is amazing, it is really fair especially with the weather conditions out here," Ban said of the sprawling Long Island track. "The greens are playing pretty fast, pretty undulated. What is crazy is more so the shorter holes have a lot smaller and harder greens so they are playing a lot harder than the longer holes."
The two spent roughly ten minutes practicing a variety of chips and putts on the 18th green before exiting up the steep hill that leads to the clubhouse. As they left the final green, with Ban in the lead, Ghim came from behind and wrapped his friend in a hug prompting them to pause for a moment and grin at each other as they basked in the glory of the experience they had just shared.
"Doug [and I] we go pretty far back so it is a lot of fun playing with a buddy out here and knowing familiar faces," a four-time winner for UNLV this past year said. Ban went through qualifying to punch his ticket to Shinnecock Hills securing his spot with a final hole eagle that put him at 7-under.
For the amateurs in the field there are more than a few familiar faces in the field. This year there are 20 amateurs, well up from the 12.6 the U.S. Open has averaged the five previous years.
"I feel like the gap amateur golfers and professional golfers are getting smaller," Ghim said of the level of play in the amateur game. "We also play harder golf courses, instruction has gotten better over the years too. It is only a matter of getting comfortable out here. All the amateurs are just as good, they just have to learn the ropes a little bit and how to score the ball a little bit better."