Round 1: John Deere Classic
July 8 2010
12:51 pm
Goydos shoots 59
Paul Goydos just became the fourth player in PGA TOUR history to shoot 59 after a birdie on the 18th hole at TPC Deere Run, where he closed out the back in 28 with eight birdies in nine holes.
The last player to shoot 59 was David Duval in the final round of the 1999 Bob Hope Classic.
On the day, Goydos missed just one fairway and two greens in regulation while taking just 22 putts.
Four players in all have now shot 59 in a TOUR event: Al Geiberger (1977), Chip Beck (1991) and Duval. — Brian Wacker
Players to shoot 59 in a PGA TOUR event
| Player | Course | Round | Tournament | Finish |
| Al Geiberger | Colonial CC (par 72) | Second | 1977 Memphis Classic | Won |
| Chip Beck | Sunrise GC (par 72) | Third | 1991 Las Vegas Invitational | T3 |
| David Duval | PGA West/Palmer (par 72) | Fifth | 1999 Bob Hope Classic | Won |
| Paul Goydos | TPC Deere Run (par 71) | First | 2010 John Deere Classic | TBD |
Filed under: Paul Goydos
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wooo hooo!!!!
way to go paul. congratulations!
Was this round played under Lift, Clean and Place rules?
I believe Duval is the only one to shoot 59 without LCP.
I think that means that Duval is the only one to shoot 59. Maybe Goydos did as well.
But teeing up the ball on every shot is THE DIFFERENCE in making it happen.
Kudos to you Paul Goydos!
That’s got a nice ring to it, but to be quite honest shooting that 59 is truly awesome. Keep it going!!
A 59 on a Par 71 course for a 12 under. The others shot 13 under !
If tiger shot 59 they would be interrupting news channels on TV and radio! But its only Paul Goydos. Way to go Paul! Tiger who?
Way to go Paul!!! 59 on a par 71 is much harder due to the fact that there are only 3 par 5′s on this course.
Congrats Paul!! You make the folks at Dove Canyon and Coto VERY PROUD!!
Very underated player who does not get the press he deserves. Kept his card for 17 years through lots of adversity. Respected by others on tour and that is why he was named Assistant Captain for The Ryder Cup team. Go Paul!!!
phil mickelson shot 58 a few years back at the tournament for the four major champions that should count for the greatest single round of golf of alll time.
Completely agree with Rob’s rebuttal to Marc. 59 on a par 71 is much harder. Not sure whether it was LCP, though…
Great round from a truly nice guy. I got to play in a pro-am with him in Tyler, TX and had a great time. Good for you Paul!
LCP…Hmmm…Is that within the rules? They probably let them use tees on the tee boxes too. Madness.
how do you figure that a 59 is harder on a par 71? It is a total score, not an “under par” score.
games? griffinsgolf.com
what a Great Number by a Great Guy!!!
by the way..think about this…12 under par on a par 71 is tougher than 12 under on a par 72…but, shooting 59 is easier..it’s equivelant to shooting 60 (12 under) on a par 72…common sense is not so common.
Congrats Paul.Guys and Gals a 59 on any PGA golf course is an awsome feat!and no eagles and hes not a bomber!! or a young flat belly.Lift ,clean if so who cares still had to make all those puts.
jeff guimont- no bud. its definitely not raining or damp/wet. no LCP
It is harder because you have taken away a decent chance at an eagle. The chances for eagle on a par 3 or 4 are slim.
Strange that no one ever shot a 59 on a par 70 or 71 course before. Still seems to me at 12 under all the sixties shot on par 72 courses are just as good.
Some mentioned LCP in past 59′s. Seems like Chip Becks 59 in the desert wouldn’t have been played under those conditions. Same with Duvals, that was also a desert course.
I know Al Geibergers was done under LCP. No doubt a hell of a feat but maybe it needs an asterik.
“Sunshine” abounds. It could not happen to a nicer, more humble man. Congrats to you, Paul. Well done!
I know Becks 59 was 13 birdies, don’t know if the other two involved eagles, I think Duvals may have.
Is he in the Open?
Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy on tour. Congratulations!!!
Wayne, it is not how many eagles or birdies you get, but the total score.
Still a great score, don’t want to take away from that. Just saying that a 59 is not harder on a par 71 than on a par 72.
I believe Duval’s included a hole in one on a downhill par 3, if I remember it right (watched it on TV, final round, had the tourney wrapped up anyway)
Rick – Duval did not have anything wrapped up. He had to wait at least an hour until the leaders at the beginning of the day finished their round.
whoever said if Tiger had shot 59 CNN would have breaking news on the anointed one who continues to be # 1 despite not playing and playing poorly. Time the PGA redefined itself to support all the players who contribute thru ,humility,sportsmanship and grace to the game and not cater to those that think they are above the game. Bobby Jones would be so proud of Paul today..
To the cynics: You’ve either never broken 80 or watch golf on TV waiting for the ball to waggle so you can call a rules infraction. Give the credit where it is due. Great round of golf to a deserving player.
I shot 58 on a par 55 once
Rick: D.Duval made eagle on last hole then had to wait an hour for leaders to finish and he won by 1 shot. He did not make an ace during that round.
Not to belabor the point but more birdies/eagles are scored on par 5′s (especially on the pro circuit) on average than other holes. Take away 25% of the birdie/eagle opportunities (3 par 5′s instead of 4) and in theory you have a more difficult course. A 59 on a more difficult course is a “better” 59 – if that’s possible.
Go go gadget Goydos! what a score and he is a really great guy with some great soundbites, can’t wait to hear about it tonight
Awesome!!! Keep up the great golf. I’d love to see you win the JDC and go on to play at St. andrews.
59 on a par 71 is truly harder. You have less chances to score low if the stroke value is lower. If one of the holes Paul parred was a par 5, I bet my paycheck he would have birdied there instead of par. So, there’s your 13 under 59 or possible 58 with eagle chance.
Try shooting 13 under on a par 3 course(that would be 41). Can you do it? I don’t think so due to the reduced scoring chances.
Note his score card…no bogey, no eagle. I think that’s incredible!
Don’t be stupid. It’s easier to shoot a 59 on a par 71 golf course, just like it’s easier to shoot 59 on a par 70 or a par 69 course. It’s harder to shoot -13 on a par 71 course than a par 72 course (Duval and others were -13), and of course Paul didn’t, he was only -12.
59 is 59 in a PGA tournament. Obviously it is not going to happen at a US Open set up, but anyone criticizing whether it was par 71 or 72 or if it was LCP or not never stood over a birdie putt. Way to go Paul.
Chuck, you say don’t be stupid but you proved you are by your contradicting comments in the same post.
thank you chuck. The point is, it is a total score, not an “under par” score.
still not sure I understand the logic behind the argument that 12 under is somehow better than 13 under….and I’m usually pretty comfortable with mathematical logic….regardless, great score!
Chuck – no one is being stupid. Mathematically and statistically it is incontestable that a par 71 USGA-sanctioned, rating and slope-adjusted golf course is more difficult than a par 72 course. The rest is opinion and you know what opinions are like…
KUDOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!All good things come to a ray of sunshine. Good job, paul. Now try to win the golf tournament.
Mike- so if I made a course with 18 par 5′s, it would be even easier to score a 59?
it is easier to make a birdie on most par 5′s that is why it is harder to break 60 on par 70′s and 71′s. Think about it. Common sense is common!
Guys cmon now!
First, what a round Paul, congrats!!!!!!
Second, it is definitely easier to shoot a 59 on a par 71 than a par 72. Think of it like this guys… Is it easier to make a 4 on a 425 yrd par 4 or a 585 yrd par 5?
That should clear it up. Great round Paul!! Gives us 275-290 yard hitters hope that you dont have to bomb it 300+ off the tee!
gentlemen..it’s very simple..the total score (in this case a 59) is easier on a par 71…the “under par” is tougher because you have one less par 5 birdie hole…par is an abritrary concept..this is why the USGA takes 1 or 2 short par 5′s and makes them “par 4′s” for the US Open..same hole, just harder against par, not harder against the total score.
explain to me how a 425 par 4 and a 585 par 5 are differnt exactly?
Brian/ I could not agree with you more . This site , the Golf Channel and CNN would be falling all over each other to worship at the feet of the suddenly not so sainted Tigre . Paul Goydos is TRULY a class act who has been thru hell , not self inflicted , and deserves just a ton of credit for a spectacular accomplishment . WAY TO GO PAUL !!!!
You’re not helping Zach, lol
59 is awesome. like most of us I have gotten it deep early, 6 or 7 under throught 13 holes but to finish birdie, birdie, birdie when you know its on the line. I dont care what the par is, that is awesome!
Greg – no. It would be easier to shoot 18- 22 under par. Par 90 (5 X18) for a 72 – 68. The point is that the more par 5′s a course has the better the chance a touring professional has of birdie/eagle. Even short hitters like Goydos now have to ability to reach the green of a par 5 in two or close enough to chip within tap-in distance. I don’t think anyone is saying that the 59′s on the par 72′s were easier (you’d have to look at the rating and slope of the courses to determine that), it’s just that a 59 at TPC Deere Run (w/ a rating/slope of 75.6/145) is a particularly awesome feat. Why do you think the PGA is crowing so loudly? Are they making the distinction between a par 71 and par 72 course? No…they know that they stack up equally. Goydos’ 59 may not be “better” than the others, but it is certainly not worse.
Agreed Zach, 64 is my low and I finished with 4 pars. Goydos’s back nine is INCREDIBLE!!
It is NOT easier to shoot 59 on a par 72 than a par 71 just because one has a different par. The key is the difficulty of the course. A par 71 that has a course rating of 70 is much easier than a par 72 that has a course rating of 75. On most PGA courses, a par 72 would typically be harder to shoot a 59 since they will usually have added length for the additional par 5. Think about it…to add a stroke to par, you would add yardage to the hole. If I went out and lengthened one of the holes at Deere Run so that it had another par 5, that wouldn’t make the course easier, it would be harder.
However, I think you guys are missing the argument…it is harder to shoot 13 under on a par 71 than it is on a par 72 because you would have to shoot 58 instead of 59. However, to shoot 59 on a par 71 would be easier (given similar course rating) than a par 72 since you have less yardage to carry.
Ok heres a scenario for ya.would someone shooting a score of 14 under on a all par 5 course be harder to do? I think not.5 pars are much easier for tour players.
Paul Azinger is right…the Tour does a lousy job of marketing and featuring the great variety of talent & personalities they have…98% of their efforts go into #1 & #2..it’s a shame that pople don’t get to know about the great guys with their own amazing talent like Paul Goydos…Pavin vs Bubba in a playoff is a fabulous story and all the Tour wants to talk about is #1 & #2. It’s the entertainment industry, always star driven, the Tour needs to create more stars…keep it going Paul !!!
Even though there are many more par 72 courses than par 71 courses the fact remains, that until today, nobody has shot a 59 on a par 71 course. Seems to me that if it is an easier feat to accomplish, someone would have done it before. Yet all previous 59’s were on par 72 courses.
Of course a 59 is a great score, regardless if the course is a par 72, 71, or 70. But to say it is tougher on a par 71 course because par 71 is lower than 72 is wrong. If you had all par 3′s you could shoot a 59 easier, but you’d be 5 over par.
Dan…to counter that…the sheer number of attempts on par 72 courses is much greater than par 71 since many more courses are par 72 (or even 70) on tour than 71. So, saying that no one has done it, so it’s harder to do, really isn’t valid. You would have to compare the amount of PGA rounds on a par 72 vs. par 71 over history to see that the amount of opportunities are significantly different.
Also, think about it, if you lengthened the 9th hole from it’s current 503 to 530 and made it a par 5, then the hole becomes easier to make a 4 because it’s a birdie hole instead of a par? No, it doesn’t, in fact it is a harder course. Par or under par has no relevance to the total score someone shoots. That’s why they always say in the US Open that scores seem higher, but it’s typically because we are only looking at it as under par vs. over par. 59 is 59 strokes and the only thing that makes it more or less impressive is course rating and slope differences, not what par the course is.
what’s really impressive is that he shot 59 on a course rating of 75.1…that would be a plus 16 handicap or more with the slope of 134!
I don’t even know if LCP rules were in effect but the article talks about “3 days of rain softening the course”. Someone said that it doesn’t matter if it was LCP. But it does. The USGA calls it “lift, clean and cheat”. The Tour allows LCP rules so it gets a better “show”.
LCP does matter because there are no bad lies. Only higher handicap players could believe that. The lie dictates the shot. If you have ball in hand on every shot, even on the fringes of the greens, it makes all shots “do-able”. There is no alteration of strategy needed due to the lie. And that definitely contributes to a more successful outcome.
All LCP 59′s need an asterisk. All “play it as it lies” 59′s are TRUE scores. The root tenet of the game is “play it as it lies”.