Next on the tee: The top 25 players under 25

CROMWELL, Conn. – Pretty much, the stars all seemed aligned against Chez Reavie in Sunday’s final round of the Travelers Championship. To wit: He was starting the fourth round with a six-shot lead, but TPC River Highlands is a place where four times in the previous 14 years, the winner had started Sunday six or seven behind. Reavie was head-to-head with Keegan Bradley, whose four PGA TOUR wins had all been of the come-from-behind fashion, furious finishes almost part of his persona. Related: Leaderboard | Winner’s bag There had been eight birdies in his final 11 holes Saturday, and you have to figure that somewhere, Golf Gods gathered to remind one another that they have quotas for this sort of stuff. Oh, and Reavie is the definition of “unheralded,â€� a man whose only PGA TOUR win came in his rookie season 11 years ago. So, as Bradley whittled the deficit to five at the turn, then to four, then three, then two and, finally, to one at the par-4 15th hole, it was worth a big exhale and a reminder what people who know Reavie say about the 37-year-old. “He’s tough as nails,â€� said Paul Casey, who was a senior at Arizona State when Reavie arrived as a freshman in 2000. “He doesn’t have the physical attributes that seem to be what you need to play nowadays (Reavie is 5-9, about 160 pounds), but he’s always nipping at your heels, like a Jack Russell (Terrier).â€� Pausing to smile and catch his breath, Casey, who had just shot 5-under 65 to nail down a share of fifth, said it was a joy to speak about Reavie. “He’s brilliant.â€� As a person, Casey meant, but on this day, he was as a front-runner, too, and because he was a mere 11 years and 258 tournaments since his first TOUR win. “I was fortunate enough to stay patient,â€� said Reavie, who had to be, because he kept hitting fairways and greens and missing birdie chances. That was a recipe for danger, Reavie reasoned, “because I knew Keegan would come out firing.â€� So, when the birdie tries misfired – from long distance at the 10th, then from 28, 21, 12, 12, 10, and nine feet on each of the next six holes – Reavie stood on the 17th tee, his lead a fragile one. To some, it was time to drag out that list of those who had come from at least six shots back after 54 holes to win the Travelers – Brad Faxon back in 2005, Bubba Watson twice, Marc Leishman, too – and start to engrave Bradley’s name to the rollcall. Those folks clearly don’t know what Justin York knows – that it was the perfect time for Reavie to step up. “He’s a bulldog,â€� said York, who has caddied for Reavie for nearly six years. “He’s as mentally tough as anyone out here.â€� Indeed, it was Bradley who blinked, not Reavie. From 160 yards out in a fairway bunker, Bradley bladed a 9-iron long, made double-bogey, and when, finally, Reavie’s fairway-and-green routine led to a birdie, the game was over. With 69 for 17-under 263, Reavie finished four clear of Bradley (67) and Zack Sucher (67). What came with the $1,296,000 prize and 500 FedExCup points were accolades that might be more valuable – if you cherish the character of a person, that is. “He is,â€� said longtime PGA TOUR caddie Jim “Bonesâ€� Mackay, “off the charts as a person, an awesome human being.â€� For all the times Mackay crossed paths with Reavie for more than 10 years on the PGA TOUR, it’s a small corner of the golf universe where he truly got to appreciate this quiet young man who was born in Kansas, grew up in Arizona, and honed his golf game at Dobson Ranch GC in Mesa. It’s Whisper Rock in Scottsdale, which attracts competitive golfers as members the way the Louvre houses priceless artifacts. “If you golf competitively there, you become mentally tough,â€� said York, who swears that his boss’s improvement as a player is two-fold – the work he’s done with Mark Blackburn and the many days and months and years he has spent at Whisper Rock. “The Rock,â€� as it is called, is where guys you’ve never heard of, amateurs for the most part, don’t want shots and don’t need ‘em. “The members can beat you up – in a nice, friendly way,â€� said Casey, who is one of a long list of PGA TOUR guys who play there. Phil Mickelson, Martin Kaymer, Kevin Streelman, Aaron Baddeley, Geoff Ogilvy, Gary McCord, Peter Kostis … they’re just a sampling of the golf talent that shows up where an unwritten rule greets everyone. “You check the ego at the door,â€� said Casey. Ah, no wonder Reavie loves it. After all, he’s as unpretentious as anyone you’ll meet. For sure, “there were some long years in the middleâ€� of his career, as a wrist injury derailed him, and four times between 2009-2015 he failed to make the FedExCup playoffs. But even Bradley cited Reavie’s doggedness. “That’s the way he plays; he’s tough,â€� said the co-runner-up. “I wasn’t surprised.â€� Back in the days before the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, word got around “The Rockâ€� that Reavie was in great form, having shot 61, 61, 64. “Obviously,â€� said Mackay, “he was playing very, very well.â€� When Reavie took that action to Pebble Beach and finished tied for third, his best performance in a major, no one back at Whisper Rock was surprised. And when Reavie fought off Bradley and closed out a 72-hole tournament with just three bogeys against 20 birdies, Casey, representing Whisper Rock GC and probably a long line of friends who have met Reavie along the way, was there to offer a warm embrace. “He’s a great friend, someone you can trust,â€� said Casey, “and he’s getting better with age.â€�

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CROMWELL, Conn. – Put yourself in Doug Ghim’s golf shoes. You’re 22 years old and about to turn pro. Your father Jeff – who introduced you to the game, built a hitting bay in the backyard because the family couldn’t afford a club membership, and remains the only swing coach you’ve ever had – also has been your caddie for many of your memorable golfing moments. That includes recent appearances at the Masters and U.S. Open, your only two PGA TOUR starts as an amateur. At Augusta National, you earned low amateur honors – giving you a seat inside Butler Cabin after the final round – and also made three eagles. Two of those were in the opening round, including an unlikely one at the par-4 18th. Jeff, in full sprint while wearing the traditional caddie jumpsuit, ran into your arms to celebrate. You couldn’t hug him enough times that week. You call it “an incredible rideâ€� you’ve enjoyed with your dad. “There is no person that works harder for me,â€� you add. The end result? You end your amateur days  No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings. But now you’ve reached the business portion of your golfing career. Time to see if your amateur success will translate against the world’s best pros. Time to make it on your own – and that means making tough decisions. So you sit down with your dad last week and make it official — he’s no longer on the bag. You need a professional caddie, someone who knows the ropes, knows the courses, can help you navigate life on the pro circuits. Father’s Day is looming, yet you worry about breaking your dad’s heart. “It was a difficult conversation last week,â€� Doug Ghim said this week while preparing for his first pro start at the Travelers Championship. “But my dad wants the best for me.â€� Dads usually do for their sons, especially someone as devoted as Jeff is to Doug. Sure, they’ve had their share of disagreements through the years; Doug told a story to the Golf Channel about a six-month period in which you two locked horns (how apropos that you’d end up attending the University of Texas). Doug blamed himself. “Puberty,â€� he said. On the Sunday before Masters week, Jeff lost the yardage book after practice. Someone was nice enough to find it and give it to lost and found. Jeff retrieved it the next day. Evidently, he had lost it in a restroom. How does that happen? “You kind of have to take your whole jumpsuit off,â€� Doug explained later that week. “It’s a onesie.â€� Having family on the bag may work for the world’s top-ranked player Dustin Johnson, who uses his brother Austin for his caddie. But Ghim’s not yet at that level. So he’s hired veteran Lance Bennett, the former long-time caddie for Matt Kuchar who has more recently caddied for Bill Haas and Daniel Berger. Bennett should be a big help as Ghim manages the early portion of his pro career, which will involve some sponsor’s exemptions until he can gain status. Doug called Bennett “a hot commodity in our industry. I just thought I need to take it.â€� Explained Ghim: “I just wanted to try having a professional caddie. Being out at the Masters and the U.S. Open, I got to see kind of what the caddie aspect was like. It’s kind of like a well-oiled machine, and I just figured that having that experience, not having status and never seeing the golf courses before, it was something that I at least needed to try. “I know that my dad will always be willing to take the call if I ever need him to be on the bag at any point. But Lance is great. He’s seen all these golf courses before. I think he had like an unreal 36 major championship streak for a bit. So he’s seen a lot and been around a lot of the guys.â€� That’s not to say Jeff Ghim won’t be around. He remains his son’s swing coach and is on-site this week at TPC River Highlands. In fact, as Ghim played a practice round Tuesday with Jordan Spieth – they paired up to play Ryan Palmer and Jack Campbell in a friendly match – Bennett was on the bag while Jeff walked with his son. Like any amateur turning pro, Doug Ghim knows he has a lot to learn about life on TOUR. Best ways to practice without wearing yourself out. Getting familiar with the courses. Managing travel. The final say now rests with him. It can be daunting. But it will also be fun. His future is bright. He’s seen what his friend Joaquin Niemann has done since turning pro earlier this year – three top 10s in his first six starts to earn special temporary membership through the rest of the season. Ghim would love similar results. It’s a business now. Even so, there will be times when Doug Ghim will miss having his dad inside the ropes. Last Friday at Shinnecock Hills, Doug and Jeff were on their 17th hole late in the second round. It was evident Doug would miss the cut and not be able to deliver the present he really wanted to give Jeff on Father’s Day – a Sunday round together at the U.S. Open. Doug began getting emotional. So did Jeff. They knew this would be their last round as player-caddie, at least for awhile As they began to play their final hole that day, Doug found the words to put it all in perspective. “I told him there are a lot of heroes that I got to meet that week, whether it was Tiger, Phil, Jason Day, Jordan Spieth,â€� he revealed this week. “But I wanted him to know that he’s always been my hero, and the person that I looked up to the most.â€� That certainly will not change just because Jeff Ghim won’t be lugging a heavy bag this week.

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Roger Sloan grew up dreaming of winning Stanley Cups and Olympic gold medals. He’s a Canadian, after all, and hockey is as much a way of life there as it is a sport. Even now, as Sloan gets ready to tee it up at Waialae Country Club this week at the Sony Open in Hawaii, hockey is a part of his life. And it’s not just because the 32-year-old is a big fan of the Calgary Flames. Sloan, who is in the midst of his third season on the PGA TOUR, plays regularly in a men’s league in Houston, where he eventually settled after earning a degree in finance from the University of Texas-El Paso.   “It’s something I’m fairly good at,â€� Sloan says. “It’s just, it’s good to keep me athletic. … So, when we’re back home we kind of lace them up with the boys and you know, just go around for a good skate.â€� Sloan, who tied for second last year at the Puerto Rico Open, says he usually plays once a week during the season when he’s back in Texas taking a break from the TOUR. He plays forward on a team called the Backside Five. “It’s a good group of guys,â€� Sloan says. “The league I play in is actually very competitive because there’s a lot of guys that used to play professionally over in Europe that are now in the oil and gas industry, you know, with Houston being a hub for (that). “There’s a lot of Canadian hockey players that have migrated down for their work. So, the league is actually very competitive which, which is good and pushes me to be able to be better.â€� Hockey, of course, is a much more physical sport than golf. But Sloan says he doesn’t worry about, bruises, broken bones or bloodied noses. “You can get hurt in the gym, you can get hurt skiing and you can get driving to the golf course,â€� he says. “There’s so many things. So, you know what injuries are all around us, but you know, I can hold my own on a hockey rink.â€� Sloan, who made the FedExCup Playoffs for the first time last season, started playing golf when he was 11 years old. His family had recently moved to Merritt, British Columbia, a town of just over 7,000 where some of the Academy Award-nominated movie “The Sweet Hereafterâ€� was filmed. Playing hockey was a given. But there was no little league baseball in the area so what was Sloan supposed to do in the summers? His father Curtis, an avid golfer, had the solution – he gave his son a set of MacGregor junior clubs.   Sloan, who was valedictorian of his high school class, learned the game at Merritt Golf & Country Club, a nine-hole layout where he holds the course record of 58 for two trips around the course. He made three eagles and eight birdies that day while one-putting 11 greens. The accountability of golf was attractive to Sloan, who played four years at UTEP, posting four top-10s as a senior and making the NCAA regionals. But he really enjoyed the team atmosphere of hockey and has many great memories of playing with his friends — both on the ice and inside the house where he remembers breaking doors and putting holes in the walls.   “I think when I look back at it, the whole being a Canadian playing hockey, your whole life revolved around hockey,â€� Sloan says. “Whether you’re playing organized hockey or whether it was just after school, you know, when all the guys have grabbed their sticks and skates and they’d go to the rink in the neighborhood to even playing a little hallway hockey (or) as kid playing on your Nintendo or whatever it was — you’re always occupied with hockey. … “So many friendships I still have today were started with my hockey teammates.â€� As Sloan became more serious about golf, though, he quit playing hockey. But he started skating again about five years ago. “I took about a 10-year break, so I’m not nearly as good as I as I once was,â€� Sloan says. “Like I said, it’s a good cardio workout. Keeps me athletic and I just really enjoy it.â€� For now, though, the ocean breezes and swaying palm trees on Waikiki Beach offer a nice diversion.

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