The first one came in 1977.
It was another 14 years before someone did it again.
It was then eight years after that before it happened a third time.
Breaking 60 has always held mythical status in golf.
Al Geiberger (1977), Chip Beck (1991) and David Duval (1999) were the first three to pull it off.
Since 2010, there have been eight more PGA Tour golfers who shot a 59, including Jim Furyk, who also shot a record-setting 58 from in 2016. He remains the only golfer to shoot a 58 on Tour and he’s the only golfer to break 60 twice.
Bryson DeChambeau joined the 58 Club after his 12-under round in a LIV Golf event.
Scottie Scheffler is the latest to break 60 on the PGA Tour, shooting a 59 in the second round of the 2020 Northern Trust. It’s the 12th time that a Tour golfer broke 60.
On the LPGA, there has only been one 59. It came in 2001 and was accomplished by Annika Sorenstam.
Joaquinn Niemann’s 59 in the 2024 LIV opener made him the second on that circuit to do it.
Here’s a closer look at the sub-60 rounds in pro golf.
Jim Furyk – 2016
58
Jim Furyk tore up the course at TPC River Highlands on Aug. 7, 2016, with a 12-under 58 in the Travelers Championship, the first and still only 58 on the PGA Tour. His round included 10 birdies, an eagle and seven pars. While six players had previously shot 59 in a PGA Tour round, Furyk became the first to earn the “Mr. 58” distinction. He’s also the first player to shoot two sub-60 rounds in official golf tournaments, as he also shot a 59 in the second round of the 2013 BMW Championship. Furyk finished the tournament tied for fifth.
Al Geiberger – 1977
59
Al Geiberger was the first player to shoot 59 in a PGA Tour event when he did so during the second round in 1977 at Colonial Country Club. Known at “Mr. 59,” he had 11 birdies and an eagle on the par-72 course. He remains the only PGA Tour history to win a non-major without a single round in the 60s. His other rounds at that Memphis Classic were 72, 72 and 70. Geiberger went on to win the tournament by three shots over Jerry McGee and Gary Player.
Chip Beck – 1991
59
During the third round of the 1991 Las Vegas Invitational at the Sunrise Golf Course, Chip Beck caught fire and shot a 13 under (all birdies) on the par-72 layout. He made the turn, after starting on the back nine, with a 7-under 29. He proceeded to shoot 6 under on the front and become the second golfer in Tour history to break 60. “The way I did it today, I could have shot 59 anywhere,” Beck told the Los Angeles Times after his round. “It’s nice to be aligned with Geiberger. He’s always been a hero of mine.” He finished tied for third.
David Duval – 1999
59
It took 14 years between the first and second 59s in PGA Tour history. It was another eight years before the third 59 was posted. It came when David Duval played the final round of the 1999 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. He trailed by 7 shots after three rounds but carded 10 birdies heading through 17 holes. He then eagled the par-5 18th with a 6-foot putt to get his 59 and clinch the victory. Duval’s 59 was the first to come in the final round.
Paul Goydos – 2010
59
An opening-round 59 happened at the John Deere Classic in 2010 as Paul Goydos just needed 22 putts to get to 12 under. His 8-under 28 on the back nine matched the lowest nine-hole score in relation to par on the PGA Tour. He then continued with a 4-under on the front nine. It was the first of two 59s on Tour in 2010. Goydos finished second in the tournament, two shots back of Steve Stricker.
Stuart Appleby – 2010
A final round 11-under 59 at the 2010 Greenbrier Classic allowed Stuart Appleby to grab his fifth PGA Tour title in style. He had nine birdies on his front nine, then an eagle and three more birdies on the back nine becoming the fifth player on the PGA Tour to break 60 and the second player to do so in 2010.
Jim Furyk – 2013
59
Three years before Furyk shot his 58, he posted a 59 in the second round of the BMW Championship. The 2018 U.S. Ryder Cup captain made 11 birdies and holed out for eagle on the par-4 15th hole at Conway Farms Golf Club. He made a 3-footer at the par-4 ninth hole, his final hole. For the tournament, Fuyrk finished third, three shots back of winner Zach Johnson.
Justin Thomas – 2017
59
Justin Thomas posted the seventh 59 and eighth sub-60 score in PGA Tour history at the 2017 Sony Open. Thomas opened with an eagle to get to 9 under through 13 on the par-70 Waialae Country Club. He faced a 10-footer for par on No. 8 (his 17th), and he needed to make it drop to keep the 59 hopes alive. He drained it. Needing an eagle at the last to shoot 59, he hit his second shot on the par 5 to 15 feet. The rest is history. Thomas went on to win the tournament by seven shots over Justin Rose.
Adam Hadwin – 2017
59
Adam Hadwin fired a 13-under 59 at the 2017 CareerBuilder Challenge, becoming the eighth player in PGA Tour history to shoot 59. His round came during Round 3 at La Quinta Country Club, one of three courses being played for the tournament. Hadwin finished the event in second, one shot behind winner Hudson Swafford.
Brandt Snedeker – 2018
59
Snedeker shot 11-under 59 Thursday in the first round of the Wyndham Championship thanks to a 20-foot birdie putt on No. 9, his final hole of the day at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina. Snedeker teed off on No. 10 and shot an inconspicuous 3-under 32 over his first nine holes, which included an opening bogey. He tore it up down the stretch with an 8-under 27 over his last nine holes, with six birdies and a 176-yard eagle hole-out at the par-4 sixth. He’s the first player ever to break 60 after starting with a bogey. Snedeker won the tournament by three shots.
Kevin Chappell – 2019
59
Kevin Chappell shot a 59 during the second round of A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier in 2019. He used a record-tying stretch of nine-consecutive birdies to reach 11-under for the day, becoming the 11th player to break 60 in the history of the PGA Tour. He finished the event T-47.
Scottie Scheffler – 2020
59
Add another 59 to the PGA Tour record books. Scottie Scheffler logged the iconic number at TPC Boston in the second round of the 2020 Northern Trust. Scheffler’s round of 12-under 59 came after an opening 1-under 70. He clinched the 59 with a four-footer for birdie on the par-5 closing hole. It’s the 12th time a PGA Tour golfer broke 60.
Bryson DeChambeau – 2023
58
Bryson DeChambeau posted the lowest score in LIV Golf League history during the final round of the 2023 LIV Golf Greenbrier at the Old White Course in White Sulfur Springs, West Virginia.
Joaquin Niemann - 2024
Joaquin Niemann shot the second sub-60 round in LIV Golf history with a 59 in the 2024 season opener at Mayakoba.
Annika Sorenstam – 2001
59
The only 59 in LPGA history came on March 16, 2001, when Annika Sorenstam accomplished the feat at the Standard Register Ping in Phoenix.
Other notable sub-60 rounds of golf
Bryson DeChambeau shoots 58 in the final round of @livgolf_league Greenbrier.
Other notable rounds of 58 by professional tour:
PGA – Jim Furyk
Japan – Ryo Ishikawa, Seong-hyeon Kim
KFT – Stephen Jager
Challenge – Alejandro del Rey— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) August 6, 2023
Notah Begay III
59 in 1998 on the Nike Tour during the Las Vegas Invitational.
Doug Dunakey
59 in 1998 on the Nike Tour during the Miami Valley Open.
Masahiro Kuramoto
59 in 2003 on the Japan Golf Tour during the Acom International.
Jason Gore
59 in 2005 on the Nationwide Tour at the Cox Classic.
Adrien Mork
59 in 2006 on the Challenge Tour during the Tikida Hotels Agadir Moroccan Classic.
Will Wilcox
59 at the 2013 Utah Championship on the then-Web.com Tour.
Russell Knox
Second player to shoot 59 on the then-Web.com Tour in 2013 at the Boise Open.
Stephan Jaeger
Recorded the first 58 in then-Web.com Tour history by making 12 birdies and shooting 12 under in the first round of the 2016 Ellie Mae Classic.
Alex Ross
Davidson University golfer Alex Ross shot a 57 in the 2019 Dogwood Invitational, a top amateur event held in Atlanta. Ross had seven birdies and an eagle over an eight-hole stretch on Nos. 9 through 16. The 57 seemingly came out of nowhere, as it followed rounds of 75-73.
Alejandro del Rey
The former Arizona State University star had such a good time posting a 29 on the front nine of a Challenge Tour event (the Swiss Challenge at Golf Saint Apollinairehe) he decided to do it again on the back. The final result, a scintillating 58, is believed to be the first on a major tour on a par-72 layout.
Mac Meissner
Meissner eagled his final hole at Lakewood National’s Commander Course to shoot 12-under 59 at the Korn Ferry Tour’s Lecom Suncoast Classic. It was the eighth sub-60 round in the history of the KFT.
