Shooting a score below 60 is the ultimate goal for professional golfers. Breaking that magic number, 59, is a rare and remarkable achievement and it doesn’t happen often. Many have come close, but only 15 players belong to this exclusive club: 13 on the PGA Tour, one on the DP World Tour, and one on the LPGA Tour.
That lone female golfer is Annika Sorenstam, who made history by shooting a 59 - 13-under-par during the second round of the 2001 Standard Register Ping tournament in Phoenix, Arizona. Her record-breaking round propelled her to a four-round total of -27, securing a two-shot victory over South Korea’s Se Ri Pak.
At the time, Sorenstam’s 59 shattered the previous LPGA record of 61, which she shared with Karrie Webb of Australia and Se Ri Pak.
Since then, few players have been close to equaling Sorenstam’s magic number. In 2021, Jessica Korda shot a third round 11-under-par 60 at the Tournament of Champions. This was the first 60 shot on the LPGA Tour since 2008 when Paula Creamer achieved the score, birdieing nine of the last 11 holes in the opening round of the Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic.
Lowest Round In Major LPGA History
At the 2021 ANA Inspiration, Lydia Ko recorded the lowest final round in LPGA Major championship history with a stunning 10-under 62. Starting the day eight shots behind Thailand’s Patty Tavatanakit, Ko quickly closed the gap, pulling within two shots of the lead by the 11th hole. She opened her round with a birdie and an eagle, adding four more birdies to card a remarkable 7-under on the front nine. Despite her incredible charge, it was Tavatanakit who claimed the title, finishing at 18-under to win by two shots over Ko.
Lowest Round By An LPGA Player In A PGA Tour Event
At the 2023 Shriners Children’s Open, Lexi Thompson became the seventh woman to play in a PGA Tour event. She followed a first round 73 with a two-under-par 69, however Michelle Wie West holds the record for the lowest round at a PGA Tour event.
In 2004, aged 14, Wie West shot 68 in the second round at the Sony Open in Hawaii and missed the cut by one stroke. The last woman to make a 36-hole cut on the PGA Tour was American Babe Didrikson Zaharias in 1945.
Lowest Round In 2024 LPGA Season
Sweden’s Linnea Strom shot an 11-under 60 to overcome a 7-stroke deficit to win the ShopRite LPGA Classic by a shot from Megan Khang and Ayaka Furue. The previous best final round for a winner was a 61 by Inbee Park in the 2014 Manulife Financial LPGA Classic.
Epsom Tour graduate Lucy Li also shot a final round 11-under 60, which included three Sunday eagles to force a play-off with eventual winner Jasmine Suwannapura at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship. This is just the eighth round of 60 or better to be shot on Tour since 2001.
