WICHITA, Kan. (June 29, 2019) – Google the name "Rhein Gibson" and you'll come across a bunch of stories about how he set a world record in 2012 by shooting an amazing round of 55 at River Oaks Golf Club in Oklahoma City.

While Gibson – a member of the Oklahoma Christian Athletic Hall of Fame – justifiably is proud of that accomplishment, he's spent years honing his craft, hoping to someday be known for more than just one outstanding round. He made it to the top level of pro golf, the PGA Tour, for the 2015-16 season, but didn't stick, which led to three more years of often playing in obscurity on the developmental Web.com Tour.

All of that grinding and sacrifice has led to a second chance for Gibson on the big stage. The 33-year-old picked up his first Web.com Tour win in early June in the BMW Charity Pro-Am in Greenville, S.C., which essentially secured a PGA Tour card for the 2019-20 campaign that will start in September. Amazingly, he's succeeded this season despite having no sponsors, as evidenced by the plain gray hat he's worn while playing.

"People look at it as, I played good for one week and made $100,000," Gibson said a couple of weeks after his win, after playing his first round in the Wichita Open. "They don't realize the blood, sweat and tears that I've put into my career to get to this point and even to keep playing, because financially, it's very tough."

At 18, Gibson lived in Lismore, Australia, and while he knew he wanted to play pro golf, he knew his game needed time to develop. He wanted to earn a college degree as a backup plan and signed up for a service that helped place international players with U.S. college teams, which connected him with OC coach David Lynn. One of Lynn's former players, Richard Guzzo, was from Australia, and Guzzo met with Gibson in their native country to assure him he'd enjoy being at OC.

Safe to say OC changed Gibson's life. He met his wife, Nancy, at the university and made lifelong friendships. David Lynn's parents, Greg and Laurel Lynn, became what Gibson calls his "American parents." Gibson enjoyed success on the course as well, winning four tournaments and earning NAIA All-America first-team honors in each of his four years.

"College was a perfect fit for me," Gibson said. "Coach Lynn took a chance and it worked out for both of us, I think."

After graduating, Gibson won the Oklahoma State Amateur title in 2008 before turning pro the next year. His career took him all over the world as he played on numerous mini-tours and open events, but his first pro win came just down the road from OC, in the Oklahoma Open at Oak Tree Country Club in 2010.

After his round of 55 in 2012 brought him temporary fame, he kept plugging away in lower-level events. He won the Brickyard Open in Indiana in July 2012. In 2013, he won two tournaments, including the Arkansas Open, and in December of that year, he had a breakthrough, finishing fourth in the Australian Open in Sydney. That earned him a spot in the 2014 British Open, arguably the world's most prestigious tournament.

At Royal Liverpool Golf Club, he made the cut on the number with a 15-foot putt in the gloaming to finish his second round. The next day, he played in a threesome with Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth, garnering international attention for both himself and OC. In 2015, he finished fourth in the Web.com Tour Championship, earning him his PGA Tour card and making him the first OC alum to reach the highest level of professional competition in his or her sport.

But life for rookies on the PGA Tour is hard and Gibson didn't earn enough money in 2015-16 to keep his place on that tour, so it was back to the Web.com Tour, on which he's played ever since.

"Financially, it's tough," he said. "I don't have any sponsors, so I've kind of been doing it on my own. Without my wife working full-time, it would be very difficult to keep doing what I was doing.

"I've had sponsors, but this year, it was difficult to get some, and I kind of wanted to go the route of playing equipment that I wanted to play, but as far as corporate stuff, I've never had any corporate help. That takes a nice chunk of pressure off of you, knowing you have money coming in. … I'm paying $3,000 or $4,000 a week to be out here and hoping I make that and more."

Through all the ups and downs, Gibson has maintained ties with OC. He and Nancy live in Edmond, and David Lynn occasionally caddies for him and traveled to Liverpool to watch him play in the British Open. During the winter, Gibson sometimes can be found at the university's Junior Lorentz Golf Center, taking advantage of the indoor facility to work on his game.

"I know how hard he has been working to put everything together," Lynn said. "It's the toughest job in the world and the ups and downs are brutal, but he's kept at it. I look forward to watching him play next year on the PGA Tour."

Gibson proudly dons OC golf gear during the occasional weeks on the Web.com Tour when players wear school colors. When the tournaments are televised and the leaderboards are shown and Gibson is in contention, the OC "Eaglehead" athletic logo receives airtime. He often fields questions about his alma mater.

"Moreso, 'Where is that?' than anything else," he said. "A lot of the questions directed to me are, 'How did you get there?' That's a pretty common question for me. … I watched a bit of the coverage the other day. They had the college leaderboard, with the logos next to it, and it was cool to be at the top with 'Oklahoma Christian Eagles' right there."

Now he'll be taking that Eagle magic back to the highest level of pro golf.

"I'm glad I stuck with it, because you never know," Gibson said. "This game is so mental, that sometimes you're always thinking what's next. Should I just quit and get a job, stay at home and get a solid paycheck? A weekly income, I wouldn't know what that is, because it's so sporadic out here. But I'm glad I stuck with it and I'm glad I'm going back.

"It's the best tour in the world, so that's pretty cool. Not many people get to play it each year, so to think I'll be out there again next year is pretty cool. Just want to keep getting better and make sure I stay up there this time."