Northern Trust: Scottie Scheffler shoots magical 59 on Friday
By Tim Letcher
The club of those who have shot 59 on the PGA Tour increased by one on Friday as Scottie Scheffler carded the magic score at the Northern Trust.
There’s a magic number on the PGA Tour, a number that was once untouchable by those playing tour events. That number is 59 and on Friday at the Northern Trust, Scottie Scheffler joined an elite club by shooting that score in a tour event.
Scheffler’s round was just the 11th time in tour history that any player has ever shot 59. Scheffler joins the likes of Al Geiberger, the original Mr. 59 who shot the tour’s first 59 in 1977. Other players to accomplish the feat in PGA Tour events are Chip Beck (1991), David Duval (1999), Paul Goydos (2010), Stuart Appleby (2010), Jim Furyk (2013), Justin Thomas (2017), Adam Hadwin (2017), Brandt Snedeker (2018) and Kevin Chappell (2019).
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Furyk holds the tour record with a 58. He shot that score at the Travelers Championship in 2016.
As would be expected, Sheffler got on a roll early and did not let up all day long. He started with a par on the first hole, but that would be the exception rather than the rule on this day.
Scheffler birdied the second hole. He parred the third before going on a big birdie streak. He birdied the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh holes to get to 5-under par on his round. After a par on the eighth hole, Scheffler birdied number nine to shoot a 6-under par 30 on his front nine.
On the back nine, Scheffler stayed hot, recording birdies on the 10th and 11th holes to get to 8-under. At that point, talk of a 59 would really begin. Scheffler needed to play the final seven holes in 4-under par to make it happen.
It didn’t start well for Scheffler. He parred the 12th and the 13th holes to stay at 8-under. So he would need four birdies in his final five holes to hit the magic 59 number.
Scheffler birdied the 14th, rolling in a 15-foot putt. On the 15th hole, he stuck his second shot about seven feet from the hole and made the putt, moving to 10-under par. At that point, 59 was a real possibility.
On the par-3 16th hole, Scheffler’s tee shot left him about 10 feet for birdie. He poured in the putt to get to 11-under par with two holes left to play.
At the par-4 17th hole, Scheffler had 29 feet for birdie and his putt from there left him about seven feet for par. He did make the putt and headed to the par-5 18th needing a birdie for a 59.
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His drive on 18 found the intermediate rough and left him 238 yards from the hole. His second shot came up just short and left of the green. However, he chipped to about four feet and made the putt to cap off the 12th round of 59 in PGA Tour history.
In the process, Scheffler grabbed a share of the lead at the Northern Trust. But the story of the day will be Scheffler joining one of the most exclusive clubs in golf, those who have shot that magic number of 59.