PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Jake Knapp knew he was on the verge of something special early on Thursday, with a run of five straight birdies to open his round at the Cognizant Classic.
In the end, he joined one of golf’s most elite clubs.
Knapp — currently No. 99 in the Official World Golf Ranking — joined the PGA Tour’s sub-60 club on Thursday, shooting a bogey-free 59 in the opening round on the Champion Course at PGA National. It was the 15th time that someone has broken 60 in a PGA Tour event.
“It’s just one of those days where everything was kind of clicking,” said Knapp, who had a four-shot lead over three other players.
Knapp finished one stroke off the tour scoring record of 58, set by Jim Furyk in the final round of the 2016 Travelers Championship. Knapp is just the 14th player to shoot a sub-60 round — Furyk is the only one to do it twice — but the feat has become more frequent, with nine such rounds since 2016.