For starters, there is his age; at 49, father-of-four Delsing is only a few months away from being eligible for the senior tour in the United States, and is twice the age of many of the players on the Nationwide Tour.
Then there is the extraordinary number of PGA Tour events (561) he has played without winning a tournament.
Finally, Delsing is the son of a man who played professional baseball, for the Yankees among other teams, and was involved in one of the most famous incidents in the sport's history.
In 1951, mischievous St Louis Browns owner Bill Veeck hired a dwarf, Eddie Gaedel, to bat in the second game of a doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers.
Gaedel, offering a tiny strike zone, was walked by the pitcher and then replaced by Jim Del-sing.
"Isn't that crazy?" Delsing junior said with a big smile.
"Eddie came in and he was just an itty-bitty guy.
"He got to base on balls and my dad went in to run for him."
Delsing's father, who retired the year Delsing was born, died three years ago.
Delsing saw his father play for the Yankees in an old-timer game, and also met two of his illustrious former team-mates at a golf pro-am hosted by former US president Gerald Ford.
"I was practising and I could tell someone was watching me.
"I turned around and there were Yogi Berra and Whitey Ford, two Hall of Famers.
"They said they wanted to ask how my Dad was.
"That was a thrill.
"They were fantastic."
Delsing, a native of St Louis, is a passionate fan of all sports - he even watched cricket earlier this week - but golf is his calling.
He played for a superb UCLA college team that included Steve Pate, Duffy Waldorf and two-time New Zealand Open champion Corey Pavin, and he was a PGA Tour regular for 20 years.
He has had 30 top-10 finishes but has never managed a maiden victory on the main tour, at least; he has two wins on the Nationwide.
But where others might admit defeat, the ebullient Delsing sees opportunity.
He gives motivational speeches and runs a golf-experience website with the slogan "Persistence Personified".
"It's about trying to be great at something, trying to be the best in the world," Delsing said.
"You know, I grew up as a caddy.
"Now, I'm turning 50 and I still get to play this game that I love.
"That's fantastic.
"People ask why I keep doing it when I've never won.
"Well, I want to win tournaments and I've had opportunities to win tournaments on the regular tour.
"It hasn't happened but it doesn't deter me.
"I still jump out of bed and keep trying.
"Obviously, as I get older the chances are less.
"But I still think I've got the game for it."
Delsing said he enjoyed playing with the younger stars but had to shake his head when he saw their booming drives off the tee.
"They hit the ball so far that I can't see where it lands.
"I just say: `Wow.
That took off really nice.' "But you know, I can still do some stuff.
I can still stay competitive."
Delsing, who has been accompanied by an old college mate, had not seen the Lakes district before this week.
"Boy, I didn't know how wonderful Queenstown was going to be.
My buddy and I have been talking about it and we think it's the prettiest place we've ever been."
Delsing tees off at 7.40am today alongside fellow American DJ Brigman and New Zealand's David Smail.
