Hayden Springer had a spectacular performance in his debut round at the John Deere Classic on Thursday.
The PGA Tour newcomer achieved a remarkable 12-under 59, marking only the 14th time a sub-60 round has been accomplished in PGA Tour history. Springer equaled the record for the first round of the John Deere Classic, matching Paul Goydos’ 59 at the event in 2010.
Springer became the second player in three weeks to break 60. Cameron Young shot a 59 in the second round at the Travelers Championship in June.
Jim Furyk currently holds the PGA Tour record with a 58 at the Travelers Championship in 2016.
During the front nine, Springer shot an impressive 8-under 27, tying the tournament’s lowest nine-hole score. He then shot 32 on the back nine to secure his 59 for the round.
Springer admitted that the possibility of shooting 59 crossed his mind after his exceptional 27 on the front nine. He shared with PGA Tour Radio’s Bill Rosinski, “It was in my mind making the turn, for sure. It’s almost like you feel like you have to at that point.”
He concluded his first round with a bang, sinking an 18-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole. Leading up to that, he also made an 18-foot birdie putt on the 15th and scored an eagle from 55 yards on the 17th.
Upon finishing his round, he held a four-shot lead over second-place Harry Hall. The 27-year-old Springer is aiming for his first career PGA win.
Springer’s front-nine 27 also marked only the 14th time someone has shot 27 or lower on the PGA Tour since 1983. The record stands at 26 by Corey Pavin at the 2006 U.S. Bank Championship.
Adding to the impressiveness of Springer’s opening round, he had missed the cut in seven of his past eight events.
“It’s been kind of a rough little bit,” Springer told Rosinski. “I went back to an old coach of mine that I grew up going to. She’s kind of straightened me out a little bit, kind of helped me get back to some feels that I’ve worked in the past. So that’s made a little bit of a difference.”