From the Chicago Suburbs to the PGA Tour
Tags: Nick Hardy, PGA Tour, Golf, Chicago, Cdga

From the Chicago Suburbs to the PGA Tour

By Matt Harness

This article appeared in the November 2021 edition of Chicago District Golfer.

The day after Nick Hardy finished his first PGA Tour event as a full-time member, he was back home in Northbrook. Following a red-eye flight from California, there was no time for unpacking, so his luggage was happily abandoned by the front door.

Operating on less than two hours of sleep, Hardy drove more than 50 miles to Olympia Fields Country Club for a fundraising event to benefit his alma mater, the University of Illinois.

A goal of his since he was a student at Westmoor Elementary, the 25-year-old Hardy earned his promotion to the PGA Tour by placing 21st during the 2020–21 Korn Ferry Tour season. The top 25 secured memberships to the PGA Tour.

For those who know Hardy, it came as no surprise that he spent little time celebrating his monumental achievement.

“I wasn’t very emotional,” he said. “I know I have bigger fish to fry.”

Hardy’s mom routinely tells her son to enjoy his accomplishments. But, like many children, Hardy often doesn’t hear the advice of his parents.

“When he got his card, he said this is just the beginning, a checkmark on the list,” said Kim Hardy Busscher, who was there when Hardy clinched his card at The Club at Indian Creek in Omaha, Nebraska, on Aug. 15. “He’s always been that way. I know it’s silly for me to say, but I’m so happy he made his dream come true.”

•••

Hardy never had a plan B. Ever since his dad took him to Anetsberger Golf Course, a 9-hole, par-3 course in Northbrook, golf has consumed him. Born the same year Tiger Woods — his golf idol — went pro (1995), an 8-year-old Hardy won the first junior tournament he entered and continued on to an All-American career at Illinois before turning pro in 2018.

“He was good right away,” John Hardy, Nick’s father, said. “He could spin the ball out of bunkers, and that’s all he wanted to do. He’s always been determined. His whole life has been geared toward getting better.”

Kim Hardy Busscher remembers picking up her son from youth baseball games and taking him to the driving range. There, Nick hit golf balls in his baseball uniform.

“John and I never had to say anything to him about golf,” she said. “He was self-motivated from a young age.”

Childhood friends Jon Goldstein and Eric Markus attest to Nick’s drive and discipline. All three attended Glenbrook North High School in Northbrook. Nick and Goldstein were teammates on the golf team. Markus is Nick’s caddie, a job he’s held since the two were in high school.

“Everyone knew he was different,” said Markus, who’s known Nick for nearly two decades. “His work ethic and attitude separated him from the others. He wanted it more, but he also put in the time.

“Nothing mattered to him besides getting to the tour. That mindset is a big reason why he made it.”

Charlie Danielson, a college teammate, understands better than most the qualities needed to reach the highest level of his sport. He played with European Tour pros Thomas Pieters and Tom Detry at Illinois. Pieters, a four-time European Tour winner, competed in the 2016 Ryder Cup.

“Talent only takes you so far in this game,” Danielson said. “If one word describes Nick, it’s toughness. He believes he’s as good as anyone out there, and he puts his nose to the ground and works his tail off to prove that.”

•••

Several signs pointed toward Nick’s progression to the PGA Tour. He qualified for the U.S. Amateur in 2013 at age 17 and advanced to match play. In 2014, he made the Semifinals of the Western Amateur at Beverly Country Club in Chicago. He played in two U.S. Opens as an amateur, making the cut in 2015 at Chambers Bay as a 19-year-old. In 2016, he won the Illinois State Amateur Championship by 10 strokes with a record-breaking -28 total.

On the Korn Ferry Tour, he made 34 cuts in 41 tournaments, posting 10 top-10 finishes and 19 top 25s. He ranked eighth in scoring average (69.17) and second in ball-striking, which combines a player’s proficiency off the tee and approach to the green.

“I take pride in how consistent and relentless I was every single day,” Nick said. “Even if I didn’t have my best stuff, I always strived for good finishes.”

In his debut as a card-carrying PGA Tour player, Nick tied for 36th at the Fortinet Championship (Sept. 16–19), matching six-time major champion Phil Mickelson. His haul of $32,608 was roughly 10 percent of the $349,054 he earned in 21 months on the Korn Ferry Tour. Nick’s mom and youngest sister Shannon made the trip to the Silverado Resort & Spa North in Napa, California to cheer him on for the final two rounds.

It was Nick’s 13th start on the PGA Tour and eighth time he made the cut.

“I’ve seen him play in some big tournaments, but this one felt different,” Kim said.

•••

Throughout his journey, Nick has maintained the same disposition, according to people close to him. Michael Wenzel, the director of golf at the Northbrook Golf Academy, first encountered Hardy as a junior player at both Anetsberger and Heritage Oaks Golf Club, formerly Sportsman’s Country Club, also in Northbrook.

“He was very competitive and worked hard at his game,” Wenzel said. “I remember he and his dad would play at Anetsberger in the most miserable conditions. There were times I had to tell them to go home.

“He’s always been humble and gracious. He’s come back and talked to our young kids. We’re fortunate [in Northbrook] to have watched him grow up.”

Although she doesn’t know Hardy personally, Katie McPike, who works behind the counter at Anetsbeger, where he holds the course record, remarked how proud the Northbrook community is of him, as much for his talent as for his humility.

“I’ve heard nothing but good things about him as a person,” McPike said. “It’s so wonderful he still considers [Anetsberger] his home.”

Justin Gerbich, coach of the 2021 Class 3A state champion Glenbrook North boys golf team, said Nick was, and remains, a role model.

“He usually was the best player, but he still put in flagsticks and grabbed bags to put into the van,” Gerbich said. “Coaches we played against still ask me about him. Everyone is genuinely excited for Nick. That means a lot.”

Goldstein agrees.

“He never acted like he was better than you, even though he was,” Goldstein said. “I never heard anyone say a bad thing about him. Nick just loves golf.”

While Nick knows he’s talented, he thrives on the intangibles to be successful, especially his willingness to learn from failure.

“My grit, my unwillingness to give up is what got me here,” he said. “You have free will, and it’s how you choose to respond to certain situations that define you. Golf is a reflection of yourself. You always have to look yourself in the mirror. The only person who can beat me is me.” ●

Matt Harness is a freelance writer who writes frequently on golf.

Arlington Heights’ Ghim Wraps Successful First Year on Tour; Gives Back

Doug Ghim had a healthy outlook after his first full season as a fully-exempt member of the PGA Tour.

No, he didn’t reach his goal of playing at the BMW Championship, the second-to-last event reserved for the top-70 players in the FedExCup Playoffs standings. But, by virtue of qualifying for the playoffs, Ghim, a native of Arlington Heights, secured his playing privileges for the 2021–22 season.

“I was disappointed to not make the BMW because I was really close,” said Ghim, who ended up 83rd. “The learning curve is quite intense in your first year, but I learned a lot about my game and about me as a person. From that perspective, it was a really good year. I know I got better.”

The 25-year-old Ghim, who lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, started the 2021–22 season Sept. 16 at the Fortinet Championship, formerly Safeway Open, at the Silverado Resort and Spa North in Napa, California, but missed the cut. He finished tied for 14th at last year’s tournament, giving him a head start in the FedExCup rankings.

“The fall was huge for me,” he said. “Coming from the Korn Ferry Tour, I didn’t get into every event, but I was able to get into more tournaments because of my early results.”

One such tournament was THE PLAYERS Championship, which often boasts the best field of the season. Ghim played in the final pairing on Sunday with eventual champion Justin Thomas; he tied for 29th.

In 27 tournaments, Ghim made 18 cuts and recorded nine top 25s, including a top 5 at The American Express at PGA West in Palm Springs, California. Advanced analytics suggested Ghim was one of the best ball-strikers on tour, ranking 25th in strokes gained from tee to green. Putting was his weakness, as he finished 162nd in strokes gained on the greens.

“I learned how to more accurately measure my progress,” Ghim said. “It’s very easy to look at results as the only evidence of progress. I now understand what I need to do better and who I am as a player. Being a top-10 player, winning majors, playing in a Ryder Cup are great things I want to do someday. But right now those aren’t appropriate expectations for me. I know what’s realistic for me.”

Although he lives in Las Vegas, Doug Ghim maintains strong ties to the Chicago area. In addition to being a Cubs fan, he’s a junior board member of the Illinois Junior Golf Association and an ambassador for First Tee — Greater Chicago.

“I want to do everything I can do to support giving kids more opportunities and more accessibility to our game,” Ghim said. “I learned how to play competitive golf through the IJGA and met so many great people along the way.

“As for the First Tee, I came from immigrant parents and had more of a blue-collar golf story. Chicago is a diverse city, and I’d like our game to reflect that. It would be really cool to open eyes of kids who otherwise don’t know anything about golf.”

Northbrook native Nick Hardy, who just began his maiden season as a card-holding PGA Tour member, is also a First Tee — Greater Chicago ambassador and IJGA junior board member.

— Matt Harness