Doug Ghim smiled as Austin Smotherman gazed into the Utah sky after winning his first PGA Tour event in 100 starts. There was no pain in Ghim’s face after his attempt to win his first title in 192 starts came up short. There was just gratitude that he’s still grinding and chasing his dreams on the top 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 great, but as a little kid trying to win a PGA Tour event, just a chance to do that is a dream come true. … We used to get really excited just to play courses that pros played at, and to think that as a 30-year-old, to have done this for my seventh season and to get an opportunity like today and what I’ve had in the past and hopefully more in the future, it’s such a privilege.
“Today was Austin’s day. I did everything that I could, and hopefully I’ll learn from some of the mistakes and be a little bit more comfortable next time. But always grateful.”
Now 30, Ghim has been grinding towards a PGA Tour win since he earned full-time privileges for the 2020 season. A maiden victory has eluded him, but he’s made 116 of 192 cuts in seven seasons and earned over $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 wasn’t for naught. He entered the week 89th in the FedEx Cup Fall standings, but his second-place finish vaulted him 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 Bank of Utah Championship concluded on Sunday, one thing was on full display. These months on the PGA Tour are different. The world’s best are mostly either at home or teeing it up in Europe, leaving the rest to chase a different grind with different goals. Winning is still the biggest prize and can be career-changing if you can get it over the line as Smotherman did. But for many, the goals are smaller and more nuanced than the all-or-nothing title chase. For many, it’s about keeping some sort of status on the PGA Tour for 2027. For some, like Ghim, who entered the fall inside the top 100, it’s about setting up a strong start to 2027 while chasing a trophy.
But just behind Ghim on the leaderboard in Utah were two other players hunting something different — a reprieve and a feeling.
David Ford was a college star at North Carolina who earned his PGA Tour card by finishing No. 1 in the PGA Tour University standings last season. But Ford struggled after earning his card last year and then battled tendonitis 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 was a good week,” Ford said on Sunday. “I was on medical this whole summer, so my expectations were pretty low. I love the golf course, but I was just trying not to get ahead of myself and just see how my body is feeling early in the week. Then if I’m hitting it great, try to make a run at the lead come the weekend. I’m just thankful to be playing. Didn’t have high expectations coming into the week. Obviously the goal is to win, but I didn’t really know where my body is at. Just really thankful to be in a position in the top 10.”
Ford will have status next year regardless of his finish. Should he land outside the top 100, he can use a medical extension. But he’s now within shouting distance of finishing in the top 100 and not needing that. Either way, Ford is hoping to find his game over the next six weeks. As long as he does that, it will be mission accomplished in the fall.
“I think get as many points as possible in the fall,” Ford said. “Because I’m on medical, I think I’ll get hopefully some starts next year. It would obviously be great to lock up my card before the end of the fall. If I play great the last five events, that would be amazing. I’m really just trying to celebrate this week. … Just kind of take the events as I come and keep getting better.”
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-25s, 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 eyes not having to use his major medical extension in 2027.
“The whole point of playing this fall is we’re going to try to not have to use our medical next year and just try to earn it outright next fall,” Crowe said. “Keep doing what I’ve been doing, and I should be all right.”
He won’t tee it up at the limited-field Baycurrent Classic 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’s finding its level after recovering from a broken wrist.
As Smotherman celebrated a win 10 years in the making, Crowe smiled and uttered what might be the unofficial tagline for the FedEx Cup Fall season and the career-changing stakes that define it.
“I’m playing everything until they say we can’t play anymore,” Crowe said.
