Brandt Snedeker joins the 59ers
2012 FedExCup champ goes low in Wyndham
Welcome to the 59 club, Brandt Snedeker.
The PGA Tour veteran shot 11-underpar 59 on Thursday in Round 1 of the Wyndham Championship thanks to a
20-foot birdie putt on No. 9, his final hole of the day at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina.
“To know what you’re trying to do and step up and have a 20-footer (on the final hole) and know what it means, I was very aware of what was going on, and to knock that putt in was really special,” Snedeker said. “To know I’m a part of a small club on tour and not very many people have done this, really cool feeling right now.”
It’s the 10th sub-60 round in Tour history and first since Adam Hadwin shot
59 at last year’s CareerBuilder Challenge in January. Jim Furyk is the only player to do so twice and has the lowest round in history with a 58.
Snedeker teed off on No. 10 and shot an inconspicuous 3-under 32 over his first nine holes, which included an opening bogey. He tore it up down the stretch with an 8-under 27 over his last nine holes, with six birdies and a 176yard eagle hole-out at the par-4 6th.
He’s the first player to break 60 after starting with a bogey.
He missed a 3-foot birdie putt on No. 8 that would have made a 58 possible. “Could have been even more special,” he said, “but happy with the way everything turned out.”
Snedeker has had a down year by his standards and entered the week 80th in the FedExCup standings.
“Nobody could see this coming — trust me,” Snedeker said. “As much as I tried to positive self-talk myself into playing good, I didn’t see 59 coming today, to be honest with you. ... Luckily, it kind of clicked all day today, and hopefully it will keep clicking.”
Snedeker missed much of the 2017 season with injury but has been healthy this year, with three top-10 finishes and a T-3 at last month’s Military Tribute at the Greenbrier.
He kept a great attitude about the whole year, evidenced by his comments Wednesday, and that paid off in a huge way Thursday.
“Golf doesn’t owe us anything,” Snedeker said Wednesday. “You’ve got to keep your head on straight and make sure you’re still doing the right stuff and it’ll eventually turn around. Have faith in what you’re doing and believe in yourself and every other cliche you can think of, but when you’re not getting the results you want it’s tough.”