“I don’t know if you noticed; I’m like 257th in the world.” A self-deprecating answer to an intriguing question about the Ryder Cup that was asked to the golfer in 2021. Back then, Doug Ghim was still a Korn Ferry Tour professional. However, he has slowly gained momentum and is currently a pro teeing off on the PGA Tour. But his promising career aside, his background is something that sparks curiosity, which brings us to the question: Is the PGA Tour Pro South Korean?

The simplest answer to that question would be a ‘no’, as per Golf Monthly. But to be honest, his family background is a bit more complicated than the single-syllable response. Interestingly, the golfer was born on April 16, 1996, in Des Plaines, Illinois. The American’s parents, however, were not born in the United States of America.

Where else were they born? Well, the golfer’s parents, Jeff and Susan, were born in South Korea. The two later moved to the United States at different times, after which they met each other in the city of Chicago, Illinois. After Ghim’s birth, the couple raised him in Arlington Heights, following which the young golfer completed his education at Buffalo Grove High School.

That’s not all. After finishing his high school education, Doug Ghim managed to get into the University of Texas, where he graduated with a degree in government. His elder sister, Deborah, on the other hand, is a Harvard graduate. What’s more, when it comes to his hobbies, he is an avid basketball and baseball fan, causing him to exude much support for the Chicago-based sports teams.

The PGA Tour Pro is an American, no doubt. Although his parents have a different origin story, that hasn’t hindered his love for golf. It was his father who introduced him to the sport. Yes, you read that right! The Korean-born architect is the reason behind the PGA Tour Pro boasting a remarkable amateur career.

How did Doug Ghim enter the game of golf?

It was when the athlete was just six years old when Jeff, Ghim’s father, introduced golf to the little kid. Even though the future golfer’s father wanted to be a professional athlete in the sport himself, fate had other plans for him as three back surgeries forced him to come back to reality. And his reality came to be centered around his children, especially his younger son, who took a liking to golf.

Soon after, they started to visit the more affordable public courses around the area, like the Arboretum layout, since the price of the private clubs was a bit too much for them to handle. “I’m sure there was financial stress,” recounted Doug Ghim in an interview. “I think more than anything, he wanted to see if I actually loved the game.” The result? Well, Ghim’s father seems to have realized his son’s potential, seeing as how he has been teeing off against the top golfers in the world on the PGA Tour. Inspiring, if not anything else!