Will 58 ever happen?

[liquor box]

I wonder more about what 4 round total is possible. A one off fluke score of 58 would not be as impressive as a great 4 round total.

Ernie Els had a 31 under result on a par 73 course for 4 rounds.

I think that 33 under is a chance and believe that anything better than this will be a long way off.

[FarawayFairways]

Interesting to observe the comparative reactions regarding Jim Furyk’s 59 on either side of the Atlantic? In America we sensed this was a cause to celebrate, whereas the respectful but none the less slightly aloof British media pointed out that its only happened 7 times in history, but never on the European tour. The less than thinly disguised subtext being that our courses are too demanding to permit a sub 60 round.

Fast forward a week and all of sudden Peter Uihlein comes within a whisker of carding a 59 in the Alfred Dunhill Links. My word, this will have the stalwarts of the R&A; choking into the gin and tonics! One of the biggest surprises however might be the venue – Kingsbarns! When the course was first introduced to make up the trinity of the Dunhill, the general concensus seemed to be that it was closer to Carnoustie than St Andrews in terms of its demands. Following on from last year when another course record was posted however, perhaps its time to reappraise it?

The wind has always been an integral part of the defence of the Scottish links course, and this year it was benign and low scoring plentiful. Carnoustie once again proved the hardest course to play, but St Andrews has long been vulnerable to a good round when the elements permit. Plans are of course under way to toughen the assignment up and its controversial in terms of dabbling with an ancient institution, but the truth is golf courses have always been adapted in line with advances made in how the game is played. Kingsbarns might be another that is looking nervously over their shoulder though, as the thought of hosting an Open must be tucked away in the back of their mind, and surrendering a 59 won't help their cause. The undeclared reality is that no one really wants their course to fall to a 59. It a badge of dishonour! So against this backdrop of being forever tainted as the first European course to yield a 59 I'd expect a score of 58 to occur elsewhere in the world.

It's likely to be on an American course that hasn't seen a major tournament played for a few decades and hasn't been updated. Obviously good weather will be required, and quite possibly an ace, or perhaps even two

Expect some subtle amendments to be put in place to stiffen up the defences of a few Scottish courses inbetween though.

[besrs]

I like Phil's chances on several tracks.

[sofingaw]

What did Phil shoot at Phoenix this year? 60? He was a grand total of about .75 inches off on two putts that would have made it a 58. Everyone remembers the lip out on the last, but on 16 or 17 he missed another bird by much less than an inch.

[Kelzzy]

I was watching an interview of a guy from the PGA saying how he shot a 56 in practice.. that just shows what these pros are capable of doing.. however with all the pressure and other things in the tournaments, it's very hard to shoot a 57-low.. but I say if a guy gets on a streak, it's surely possible.

[sofingaw]

Louis Oosthuizen shot a 57 in a practice round at his home course in South Africa a few years back. You can see the scorecard on his website, which is named for the round. www.louis57oosthuizen.com It's surreal to look at!