‘59 Club’ member
Justin Thomas shoots an 11-under 59 to take the first-round lead in Hawaii,
Fresh off his victory in Maui, Justin Thomas became the seventh player to join the “59 Club” on the PGA Tour when he made a 15-foot eagle putt on his last hole Thursday in the Sony Open for an 11-under-par 59.
Thomas thought his chances for a 59 were over when his drive on the par-5 ninth hole at Waialae Country Club was a foot from clearing a fairway bunker on the left and rolled back into the sand. He figured he couldn’t reach the green until realizing Daniel Berger hit a 4-iron from the bunker onto the green.
Thomas said he figured it “wasn’t a time to lay up.”
He hit a 5-iron clean and pure, and it settled 15 feet below the cup. Wasting little time over the putt, he knocked it in for the 59 and lightly pumped his fist. The excitement came from Berger and Jordan Spieth, and only when Thomas looked at their reactions did it begin to sink in.
“I got more excited from seeing them get excited,” he said.
Jim Furyk was the last player with a sub-60 round when he closed with a record 58 in the Travelers Championship last summer. Furyk also had a 59 in the 2013 BMW Championship, joining the exclusive group that includes Al Geiberger (1977 Memphis Classic), Chip Beck (1991 Las Vegas Invitational), David Duval (1999 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic), Paul Goydos (2010 John Deere Classic) and Stuart Appleby (2010 Greenbrier Classic).
Thursday’s round was special because Thomas made it look so easy.
Thomas, a 23-year-old with enormous power for his 145-pound frame, never hit more than a 7-iron into the par 4s at Waialae on a perfect day for scoring — little breeze, fast fairways and soft greens. That 7-iron was chipped under the trees and into a bunker on No. 8 when he was trying to save par.
His only bogey came on his second hole, the par-3 11th, when his tee shot went into a bunker and he missed an 18-foot par putt.
Spieth, best friends with Thomas since they were 13, was more nervous than Thomas and far more demonstrative. Thomas had a 30-foot birdie putt on No. 7 that looked good even when it was inches from the cup until burning the edge. Spieth clutched the back of his neck and was still asking how the putt didn’t fall when he walked onto the next tee. He was talking to himself, of course. He gave Thomas his space.
“It’s like sitting on the bench with a teammate throwing a perfect game,” Spieth said. “It was awesome. What an awesome last five rounds he’s had.”
Four days earlier, Thomas had closed birdie-birdie for a 69 to win the SBS Tournament of Champions at Kapalua. He started his round Thursday at Waialae by pitching in from 35 yards for an eagle on the short 10th hole. And he was off. “All my birdies were easy,” Thomas said. He was smashing drives when he could, especially on the par-5 18th hole when he found an extra long tee and hammered a high hook that left him only an 8-iron into the green. He narrowly holed that for an eagle, settling for a 29. Then, he went birdie-birdie to start the front nine, and when he hit 7-iron to 5 feet for birdie on the par-3 fourth hole, the race was on to hit golf ’s magic number.
“He had full control of his golf swing,” Spieth said.
Spieth and Berger were along for the ride. They all graduated from high school in 2011 and grew up in junior golf. They were together a few weekends ago at a resort in Maui ahead of the Tournament of Champions.
And they put on quite a show, with Spieth and Berger each shooting 65. On only three holes — Nos. 15, 5 and 8 — did someone in the group not make birdie or better. Their best-ball score was 17 under.