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Doug Ghim becomes just the fourth player in PGA Tour history to achieve rare John Deere Classic feat

Originally posted on HITC | By Antony Martin | Last updated Jul 4, 2025 11:36 AM ET

Doug Ghim has a one-shot lead after the opening round at TPC Deere Run.

Ghim’s nine-under-par 62 featured seven birdies and an eagle, giving him a clear edge over the field

Max Homa sits one shot back after an eight-under 63, with two-time winner Jordan Spieth among those two shots behind at seven-under.

The lead at the John Deere Classic doesn’t reflect how Ghim’s season has gone. He has played 17 events without a single top-10 finish. The golfer from Des Plaines, Illinois, has also missed six cuts.

However, two years after switching from blades to cavity backs, he appears to be seeing results from that change.

Ghim has played 162 PGA Tour events without a win, but he couldn’t have asked for a better start this week to break that streak.

What did Doug Ghim do to make PGA Tour history?

Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

While Ghim’s opening round was impressive on the scorecard, the details behind the numbers are even more noteworthy.

It was his 488th round on tour, and he had previously shot 63 four times – but never gone lower until now.

But the most surprising part of his round wasn’t just the score.

He also became just the fourth player in the shot-link era to shoot 62 while losing more than half a stroke putting, finishing the day with -0.765 strokes gained on the greens.

Doug Ghim shot a 9-under-par 62 today at TPC Deere Run despite losing more than half a stroke putting.

It ties the lowest score in the PGA Tour ShotLink era by a player losing more than half a stroke on the greens. Only 4 such rounds in 20+ years.
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) July 3, 2025