59 - close calls this year

[Tiger Spuds]

This year we've seen Paul Goydos' 59, but a few other players have gone close.Steve Stricker at the same tournament comes to mind.Two players have gone close in the space of 4 days at the Greenbrier, and Stuart Appelby currently still has a chance of one at the moment.Ross Fisher also came very close in the Irish open this week.

So what is it?Is it players improving, weather conditions or just easy course setup?To me it seems like the latter is the most likely.There seems to be very little challenge for the players recently, especially on the PGA tour, with most events becoming a shootout.It's preferrable to par golf, for sure, but maybe it's gone a little too far in the other direction.Perhaps I'm not giving the players enough credit here but it really seems to me that they could be given more of a challenge from week to week.Opinions?

[MJP]

They have certain events that are cakewalks each year where they expect the winner to be at least 15 under. Then they have the US open where the winner is par.

The smallest tournaments usually seem to have the easiest courses.

I think the best round ever would have to be the round that achieves the best differential. Although then again maybe not, because I don't really believe much in the USGA's rating system.

75.5/145 was the US open at pebble this year.
75.1/134 was the John Deere classic at TPC Deere Run.

So these courses are relatively the same for the scratch golfer. So why does Pebble play so much harder than TPC Deere run?

Based off the scoring at the US open you'd think that the course rating was 80/155.

When you are hitting 1/4 of your approaches to within 5 feet you're gonna go super low.

[Chilli Dipper]

2010 has been a year of extreme weather trends. The East, South, and Midwest all had particularly cold and wet winters, and are currently experiencing very hot and humid summers. Consequently, courses have been playing soft all year, and combined with a generally lenient trend in course setup in reaction to the groove rule, scoring has been low.

[jamo]

You pair perfect weather, perfect course conditions, (comparatively) easy courses, low pressure, and very few big names, and you get the John Deere and the Greenbrier.

[Tiger Spuds]

You pair perfect weather, perfect course conditions, (comparatively) easy courses, low pressure, and very few big names, and you get the John Deere and the Greenbrier.

You do, and there's a few factors there that you can't do anything about.But you can affect things with how you set up the course.I mean, they

know the day before whether there's gonna be wind or not, and should place pins accordingly.I just think they've been a little too easy lately, without need.Goydos' and Appleby's 59 were great achievements of course, but the frequency and ease with which they're coming now cheapens the overall achievement of a 59 in my view.

[kpaulhus]

Goydos' and Appleby's 59 were great achievements of course, but the frequency and ease with which they're coming now cheapens the overall achievement of a 59 in my view.

Really? I couldnt shoot 59 from the womens tees. Its a feat only 5 men have been able to do in over 100 years?

You cant take anything away from a 59.

[Tiger Spuds]

Really? I couldnt shoot 59 from the womens tees. Its a feat only 5 men have been able to do in over 100 years?

But think of it this way.If courses continue to play so easily, and the rate of 59's continues like this so that there's 2/3/4 of them a year, doesn't that lessen the achievement itself?The more there are, the less special they become.There could easily have been three 59's this week alone.That's ridiculous, regardless of weather conditions.Special achievements as I said before, but it needs to be a harder thing to achieve in future.

[laconic517]

But think of it this way.If courses continue to play so easily, and the rate of 59's continues like this so that there's 2/3/4 of them a year, doesn't that lessen the achievement itself?The more there are, the less special they become.There could easily have been three 59's this week alone.That's ridiculous, regardless of weather conditions.Special achievements as I said before, but it needs to be a harder thing to achieve in future.

What rate? Theres been 2 this year big deal. Its an anomaly. The last one before these past 2 was David Duval in 99.

[Tiger Spuds]

What rate? Theres been 2 this year big deal. Its an anomaly. The last one before these past 2 was David Duval in 99.

You're missing the point.There could easily have been several more this week alone, not to mention throughout the year.Players are finding it easier to go lower and lower. 77 - 91 - 99 and now two in the space of a month in 2010?Too easy.

[Chilli Dipper]

You're missing the point.There could easily have been several more this week alone, not to mention throughout the year.Players are finding it easier to go lower and lower. 77 - 91 - 99 and now two in the space of a month in 2010?Too easy.

Every course east of the Rockies is soft this year, and the tour isn't keeping the rough as thick as they used to. Combine the two, and you get low scores. Two 59s in a month doesn't signify anything in the grand scheme of things, especially when it had been 11 years since anyone had done it last. If 59s become more commonplace over the next several years, it'll be a trend. As of now, it's just a coincidence.

[iacas]

You're missing the point.

I think you're missing the point - and that point is that

there were not several more this week. Getting to 59 is incredibly difficult. JB Holmes almost got to 59 - but didn't - and he had to finish eagle-birdie just to get to 60. Appleby did it and had to finish with three birdies. Points nearly did it but finished with 61. Almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. There have been two 59s this year, and 5 in 100 years. If we see two a year for the next few years then maybe we'll talk. Until then, it's still incredibly, incredibly rare. Heck, even since the last one THREE WEEKS ago there have been 1,777 rounds played on the PGA Tour. And before that, 612,000 rounds (IIRC). They're rare, and "could have beens" don't add up to 59.

[sean_miller]

Soft spikes - more birdie putts rolling in.

[tsdnorton]

not to mention you have juniors shooting 14 under..

[mcfc_nick]

Ive got to agree with Tiger Spuds on this, i mean the guys who have shot 59 are Paul Goydos and Stuart Appleby, and the guys who have almost done it are DA Points, JB Holmes and Stricker. Now with the exception of Stricker you would hardly go around saying that these are the best players in the world which says to me that some of the courses they are are playing are too easy when conditions are right

[sean_miller]

Ive got to agree with Tiger Spuds on this, i mean the guys who have shot 59 are Paul Goydos and Stuart Appleby, and the guys who have almost done it are DA Points, JB Holmes and Stricker. Now with the exception of Stricker you would hardly go around saying that these are the best players in the world which says to me that some of the courses they are are playing are too easy when conditions are right

Ironically, they are some of the best players in the world. They do this s### for a living and they do it well.

[mcfc_nick]

Ironically, they are some of the best players in the world. They do this s### for a living and they do it well.

you know what i mean, obviously theyre awesome at what they do but if i asked you who you'd thought would shoot 59 i bet that they wouldn't have come up

[sean_miller]

you know what i mean, obviously theyre awesome at what they do but if i asked you who you'd thought would shoot 59 i bet that they wouldn't have come up

And you would have laid money down on Al Geiberger or Chip Beck?

I wouldn't have specifically chosen Goydos or Appelby, but sure I as H wouldn't have picked AK, Tiger, or Phil either - since that's obviously what you're getting at.

[nevets88]

Anyone know how many rounds in the 60s are shot in a typical year?

I wonder if that has been trending up?