The amazing feats of scoring in the 50s

By Paul Gueorgieff
Editor, Golfer Pacific NZ

The main story in this edition of Golfer Pacific is about Jim Furyk who remains keen to stay on the PGA Tour at the age of 50.

The story goes on to mention Furyk’s two amazing scores of 59 and 58 in PGA Tour events. A reminder, those scores are for 18 holes, not nine. 

The 59, scored in 2013, was 12 under par. The 58, scored three years later in 2016, was also 12 under par.

After running those numbers through the calculator in my head, I worked out the 59 was on a par 71 course and the 58 was on a par 70 course.

That got me thinking. During the coronavirus lockdown period there had been numerous broadcasts of previous PGA Tour events on Sky TV and one of them had been the 2017 Hero World Challenge.

In that event Charley Hoffman was the leader by four shots after the third round. 

Television commentators mentioned that Hoffman had held the lead going into the final round of a PGA Tour event two of three times before but had failed to convert any of them into a win. 

The inference was that with a four-shot lead he would this time, surely, be victorious.

But it wasn’t to be. Ricki Fowler, starting the final round seven shots behind Hoffman, scored an amazing 61 to sweep to victory. Hoffman would have to settle for second.

This was a tournament I could not remember and although the broadcast was three years old I was glued to the television screen as if the pictures were live. I was simply amazed by Fowler’s score.

He birdied eight of the first nine holes for a mind-blowing first-nine score of 28. Fowler was rubbish on the second nine with only three birdies and six pars for a second-nine score of 33. He finished at 11 under par for the par 72 course.

When reviewing Fowler’s scorecard, the television commentators jokingly referred to the seven pars as the blemishes on his card.

Fowler’s score of 61 and Furyk’s scores of 59 and 58 got me thinking — yet again. 

How many sub-60 scores have there been on the PGA Tour, I wondered. At the same time I bet myself most sub-60 scores would be on par 70 courses and one or two, at the most, on par 71 courses.

Wrong, Paul.

There have been 11 sub-60 scores on the PGA Tour. Furyk’s 58 is the lowest along with 10 scores at 59.

Of the 11 sub-60 scores, six were on par 70 courses and one on a par 71 course. But, amazingly, four have been on par 72 courses, dating back to 1977. In other words four of them have been 13 under par. Repeat that, 13 under par. It’s hard to fathom, isn’t it?