LAKEWOOD RANCH, Fla. (AP) — Mac Meissner made a 15-foot eagle putt Friday on his final hole for a 12-under 59, becoming the eighth player to break 60 on the Korn Ferry Tour.
The Korn Ferry Tour record is 58 by Stephen Jaeger in 2016 at the Ellie Mae Classic.
Meissner, in his second full year on the PGA Tour's developmental circuit after finishing at SMU, opened with the Lecom Suncoast Classic with a 71 and was just hoping to make the cut. But when he made a 20-foot birdie putt on the eight hole at Lakewood National, he realized he could reach golf's magic number with an eagle on the par-5 ninth hole.
“We were kind of in between clubs in the fairway and my caddie looked at me and he goes, ‘Are we trying to shoot 59 or are we trying to shoot 60?’ So I pulled less club (6-iron) and went right at it,” Meissner said.
Meissner was in a tie for third, four shots behind, when he finished. Of the seven other players who had sub-60 rounds on the Korn Ferry Tour, only Jaeger and Jason Gore (a 59 in 2005) went on to win.
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