SILVIS, Ill. — Hayden Springer posted the 14th sub-60 round in PGA Tour history on Thursday, joining a rapidly expanding list with an eagle-birdie finish in the John Deere Classic for a 12-under-par 59.
All that got the 27-year-old rookie was a two-shot lead over Sami Valimaki on a rain-softened TPC Deere Run course so vulnerable to scoring that only 13 players in the 156-man field were over par after the opening round.
Springer shot a 27 on the front nine and tried to block out thoughts of a 59 or better. Then he made five straight pars and figured the chance had passed until he holed a 55-yard shot for an eagle on the par-5 17th.
Needing a birdie for golf’s magic number, his approach caught the slope and left him 12 feet short, and the putt was true all the way.
“Kind of at a loss for words in terms of being able to do that,” said Springer, who was born in Nashville but grew up in Texas and played his college golf at TCU. “I feel like that’s one of the rare things in golf, so to have that opportunity and pull it off, it feels pretty special.”