Third 59 of year is missed
Chad Collins missed a chance for the 10th sub-60 round in PGA Tour history and third of the season, parring the final two holes for an 11under 60 Friday in the second round of the Barbasol Championship in Opelika, Ala.
Collins hit his approach to the back fringe on the par-4 18th, leaving a 70-foot downhill birdie try that he hit 5 feet past.
“I just got myself out of position off the tee, which you can’t do,” Collins said. “Probably one of the easiest hole locations on the green, so it was kind of unfortunate to not hit the fairway and I probably would have had a better look at birdie there. I gave it a run. I’m not too disappointed at all by 60, so I’ll take it.”
After six consecutive birdies on Grand National’s rainsoftened Lake Course, Collins, 38, from Indiana, missed a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-3 17th.
“Hit a good shot, but I hit it a little heavy,” Collins said. “I didn’t think it was going to get back there and it must have had a lot of overspin, hit the downslope, chased back there. I wasn’t sure how close it came to going in, but had to come pretty close. And then the putt was a little tricky. We couldn’t quite figure out if it was kind of right center, right edge or left center, left edge. Just kind of lost a little bit of speed and broke off the left edge. “
Jim Furyk shot a record 58 in 2016 at the Travelers Championship in Connecticut and is one of eight players to shoot 59. Justin Thomas and Adam Hadwin shot 59s in January — Thomas in his victory in the Sony Open in Hawaii, and Hadwin in the CareerBuilder Challenge in California.
Collins was at 15-under 127 for a four-stroke lead over Grayson Murray (64) and Cameron Tringale (66)
Collins had five birdies in a front-nine 30, parred the 10th and ran off the six consecutive birdies to get to 11 under for the round.
“It kind of crossed my mind probably on the par-5 16th,” Collins said about breaking 60. “Didn’t hit a very good tee shot there, but it was probably going to be a three-shot hole anyway. Then hit a good approach shot in there to 10 feet or so. When I made that, obviously with two holes to go, just needed to make one.”
He made the 36-hole cut for only the fifth time in 23 events this year.
Other tournament
LPGA Marathon Classic: Gerina Piller followed her opening 8-under 63 with a 68 Friday to maintain a onestroke in Sylania, Ohio. Winless on the LPGA Tour, Piller had four birdies and a bogey at Highland Meadows to reach 11-under 131. Lexi Thompson had a 65 to move into a tie for second with fellow American Nelly Korda (64), South Korea’s In-Kyung Kim (67) and Taiwan’s Peiyun Chien (68).