Lowest rounds of golf
This article lists the lowest rounds of golf. In professional competition a round of 59 or less is regarded as a significant achievement.[1] In men's major championships the lowest round is 62 by Branden Grace at the 2017 Open Championship. The lowest officially recorded round is 55 by Rhein Gibson in 2012. In women's major championships the lowest round is 61, held jointly by Leona Maguire, Lee Jeong-eun and Kim Hyo-joo, all at the Evian Championship.
Lowest rounds of golf
The lowest officially recorded round is 55 by Rhein Gibson (12 birdies and two eagles on a par 71) on May 12, 2012, at River Oaks Golf Club in Edmond, Oklahoma. This score is recognized by the Guinness World Records.[2] Three other rounds of 55 are documented, but these are commonly discounted due to the length of the course or the nature of the round.[3] On August 27, 2020, another was added, as Alexander Hughes shot a 55 in Jenks, Oklahoma, within 100 miles of where Gibson had his best day.[4]
Possibly the lowest documented round in competitive golf is 57, achieved by (among others) Bobby Wyatt in the 2010 Alabama Boys Junior Championship, and Alex Ross in the 2019 Dogwood Invitational. Ross's round was 15-under-par for the Druid Hills Golf Club course in Atlanta, and included 13 birdies and one eagle.[5]
Lowest rounds in professional competition
Official tournaments on the leading professional tours
Official tournaments on the leading second tier tours
Player | Score | To par | Rnd | Finish | Year | Tour | Tournament | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | 58 | −12 | 1/4 | 1 | 2016 | Web.com Tour | Ellie Mae Classic | [27] |
![]() | 58 | −14 | 2/4 | T10 | 2021 | Challenge Tour | Swiss Challenge | [28] |
![]() | 59 | −13 | 2/4 | T6 | 1998 | Nike Tour | Nike Dominion Open | [9][29] |
![]() | 59 | −11 | 2/4 | T2 | 1998 | Nike Tour | Miami Valley Open | [9][30] |
![]() | 59 | −12 | 2/4 | 1 | 2005 | Nationwide Tour | Cox Classic | [31] |
![]() | 59 | −12 | 2/4 | 1 | 2006 | Challenge Tour | Tikida Hotels Agadir Moroccan Classic | [32] |
![]() | 59 | −12 | 4/4 | T3 | 2013 | Web.com Tour | Utah Championship | [33] |
![]() | 59 | −12 | 2/4 | T12 | 2013 | Web.com Tour | Albertsons Boise Open | [34] |
![]() | 59 | −12 | 2/3 | 2 | 2016 | Challenge Tour | Fred Olsen Challenge de España | [35] |
![]() | 59 | −12 | 1/4 | T2 | 2017 | Web.com Tour | Web.com Tour Championship | [36] |
![]() | 59 | −12 | 2/4 | T16 | 2023 | Korn Ferry Tour | LECOM Suncoast Classic | [37] |
Official tournaments on the leading senior tours
Player | Score | To par | Rnd | Finish | Year | Tour | Tournament | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | 59 | −13 | 2/3 | T7 | 2014 | Champions Tour | Dick's Sporting Goods Open | [38] |
![]() | 59 | −9 | 2/3 | T4 | 2018 | European Senior Tour | MCB Tour Championship – Seychelles | [39] |
Other tournaments
Player | Score | To par | Rnd | Finish | Year | Tour | Tournament | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | 57 | −11 | 1/3 | 1 | 2019 | Alps Tour | Cervino Open | [40] |
![]() | 58 | −11 | 2/2 | 3 | 1984 | n/a | West Country Open | [41] |
![]() | 58 | −13 | 1/2 | 2000 | n/a | U.S. Open qualifying round | [42] | |
![]() | 58 | −13 | 4/4 | 1 | 2001 | Canadian Tour | Bayer Championship | [43] |
![]() | 58 | −12 | 4/6 | T50 | 2014 | European Tour | qualifying school tournament | [44] |
![]() | 59 | −10 | 2/4 | 1 | 1974 | n/a | Brazil Open | [45] |
![]() | 59 | −11 | 1/2 | 1 | 1985 | Japan Golf Tour | Kuzuha International | [46] |
![]() | 59 | −13 | 4/6 | T68 | 2000 | PGA Tour | qualifying school tournament | [9][47] |
![]() | 59 | −13 | 2/2 | 1 | 2004 | PGA Tour | PGA Grand Slam of Golf | [48] |
![]() | 59 | −12 | 2/4 | T12 | 2005 | Von Nida Tour | Queensland PGA Championship | [49] |
![]() | 59 | −13 | 2/3 | 1 | 2006 | EPD Tour | Habsberg Classic | [50] |
![]() | 59 | −13 | 4/6 | 1 | 2008 | PGA Tour | qualifying school tournament | [51] |
![]() | 59 | −11 | 2/4 | T25 | 2010 | Charles Tour | Carrus Tauranga Open | [52] |
![]() | 59 | −10 | 1/4 | 1 | 2010 | Professional Golf Tour of India | Tata Open | [53] |
![]() | 59 | −12 | 2/3 | 1 | 2011 | Nordic Golf League | Bravo Tours Open | [54] |
![]() | 59 | −11 | 2/4 | 1 | 2014 | Charles Tour | Carrus Open | [55] |
![]() | 59 | −13 | 2/3 | 2015 | SwingThought.com Tour | Callaway Gardens 3 Day | [56] | |
![]() | 59 | −13 | 2/3 | 1 | 2015 | Pro Golf Tour | Sparkassen Open | [57] |
![]() | 59 | −12 | 1/4 | 2016 | Web.com Tour | qualifying school tournament | [58] | |
![]() | 59 | −12 | 1/3 | 1 | 2017 | PGA Tour Champions | Diamond Resorts Invitational | [59] |
![]() | 59 | −11 | 4/4 | 3 | 2017 | Asian Development Tour | Singha Phuket Open | [60] |
![]() | 59 | −13 | 1/3 | 1 | 2017 | Pro Golf Tour | Sparkassen Open | [61] |
![]() | 59 | −11 | 2/4 | T2 | 2018 | Charles Tour | Carrus Open | [62] |
![]() | 59 | −12 | 2/4 | T49 | 2018 | PGA Tour Latinoamérica | JHSF Brazil Open | [63] |
![]() | 59 | −12 | 4/4 | 3 | 2019 | PGA Tour Canada | GolfBC Championship | [64] |
![]() | 59 | −12 | 2/3 | 1 | 2020 | n/a | Memorial Olivier Barras | [65] |
![]() | 59 | −11 | 2/3 | 2 | 2020 | GPro Tour | Mimosa Challenge | [66] |
![]() | 59 | −11 | 3/3 | 1 | 2021 | PGA EuroPro Tour | Motocaddy Masters | [67] |
![]() | 59 | −11 | 1/4 | 1 | 2021 | All Thailand Golf Tour | Singha Pattaya Open | [68] |
![]() | 59 | −11 | 3/3 | 1 | 2022 | Alps Tour | Memorial Giorgio Bordoni | [69] |
![]() | 59 | −11 | 1/3 | T5 | 2022 | Japan Challenge Tour | Delight Works JGTO Final | [70] |
Notes:
- Rnd is the round in which the score was shot, i.e. 2/4 means the round was shot in the second of four rounds.
- Finish is the final tournament finish of the player
Lowest rounds in men's major championships
In men's major championships the lowest round is 62 which was recorded by South African golfer Branden Grace in the third round of the 2017 Open Championship.
# | Player | Major | Date | Course | Rnd | To par | Finish |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() | The Open Championship | Jul 22, 2017 | Royal Birkdale Golf Club | 3 | −8 | T6 |
Many players have recorded a score of 63.[71] Johnny Miller was the first golfer to shoot 63 in a major and was the only golfer to shoot 63 in the final round to win a major until Henrik Stenson did so as well during the 2016 Open Championship at Royal Troon Golf Club. Greg Norman, Vijay Singh and Brooks Koepka are the only golfers to record two rounds of 63 in the majors.
Lowest rounds in women's professional competition
Official tournaments on major tours
There have been 3 rounds of 58 recorded on the Ladies European Tour, all in the Bloor Homes Eastleigh Classic. These rounds were achieved by Trish Johnson (1990), Jane Connachan (1991) and Dale Reid (1991). This tournament was played on a par 65 public golf course. The lowest Ladies European Tour round on a course with par of minimum 70 has been 61.
Player | Score | To par | Rnd | Finish | Year | Tour | Tournament | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | 59 | −13 | 2/4 | 1 | 2001 | LPGA | Standard Register PING | [72] |
![]() | 60 | −10 | 2/4 | 6 | 2003 | LPGA | Welch's/Fry's Championship | [72] |
![]() | 60 | −10 | 2/4 | T2 | 2004 | LPGA | Welch's/Fry's Championship | [72] |
![]() | 60 | −11 | 4/4 | T5 | 2004 | LPGA | Longs Drugs Challenge | [72] |
![]() | 60 | −10 | 1/4 | 1 | 2008 | LPGA | Jamie Farr Owens Corning Classic | [72] |
![]() | 60 | −11 | 3/4 | 1 | 2021 | LPGA | Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions | [73] |
Lowest rounds in women's major championships
In women's major championships the lowest round is 61, which has been recorded by three golfers: Leona Maguire, Lee Jeong-eun and Kim Hyo-joo.
# | Player | Major | Date | Course | Rnd | To par | Finish |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() | The Evian Championship | Sep 11, 2014 | Evian Resort Golf Club | 1 | −10 | 1 |
2 | ![]() | The Evian Championship | Jul 23, 2021 | Evian Resort Golf Club | 2 | −10 | 2 |
3 | ![]() | The Evian Championship | Jul 25, 2021 | Evian Resort Golf Club | 4 | −10 | T6 |
Perfect round
A perfect round is a round of eighteen holes where all holes were played on average at one under par (average of birdie on every hole) resulting in a score of 55 on a par 73 course, 54 on a par 72 course, 53 on a par 71 course, and 52 on a par 70 course.
There is a philosophy popularized by Pia Nilsson's Vision 54 that concentrates on achieving the perfect round, the basic ideology being that striving for perfection results in better scores even if the goal is not met.[74] Cecilia Ekelundh, of the Ladies European Tour keeps the perfect round on her mind by drawing a 54 on the ball she plays in competition.[75]
References
- "Sub-60 rounds in PGA Tour history". PGA Tour. August 16, 2018.
- "Lowest golf score 18 holes (male)". Guinness World Records. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
- Kelley, Brent. "What Is the Lowest 18-Hole Golf Score Ever Recorded?". About.com. Archived from the original on July 12, 2014. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
- Piastowski, Nick (August 28, 2020). "How this golfer incredibly shot a Guinness world-record 16-under 55". Golf.com. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
- "Davidson's Alex Ross makes golf history with absurd 57 at amateur event". National Collegiate Athletic Association. June 7, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
- "Ishikawa's 58 sets major-tour record". ESPN. Associated Press. May 2, 2010. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
- "Traveler's Championship Scorecard: Jim Furyk". PGA Tour. August 7, 2016.
- "SA's Norris bags 5th Japan Golf Tour win". News24.com. May 23, 2021.
- "David the Goliath". Sports Illustrated. Associated Press. December 2, 2000. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
- "Al Geiberger Becomes First Pro To Shoot 59 In U.S. Golf Tournament". Gettysburg Times. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. June 11, 1977. p. 14. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
- "Beck's 59 Ties Pro Golf Record". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Sarasota, Florida. October 12, 1991. p. 1C. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
- Brown, Clifton (January 25, 1999). "A Round for the Ages: Duval wins With a 59". The New York Times. New York, New York. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
- "Sorenstam Shoots LPGA Record 59". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Sarasota, Florida. Associated Press. November 30, 1974. p. 1C. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
- "Kuramoto Shoots a 59 in Japan". Golf Channel. September 26, 2003. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
- "Karmis shoots magical '59'". News24. June 7, 2009. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
- "Goydos shoots fourth 59 in tour history". ESPN. July 8, 2010. Retrieved July 8, 2010.
- "Stuart Appleby shoots 59 at Greenbrier Classic". Sports Illustrated. August 1, 2010. Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved August 1, 2010.
- "Jim Furyk hits golf's magic mark". ESPN. September 13, 2013. Retrieved September 13, 2013.
- "Eagle on final hole gives Justin Thomas 59 at Sony Open". ESPN. Associated Press. January 12, 2017.
- "Hadwin cards a 59 to grab lead". PGA Tour. January 21, 2017.
- "Brandt Snedeker shoots 59 at Wyndham Championship". ESPN. August 16, 2018.
- "Fisher cards history-making 59 in Portugal". European Tour. September 21, 2018.
- "Chappell shoots 11-under 59 at The Greenbrier". ESPN. September 13, 2019.
- "Rookie Scottie Scheffler shoots 59 at TPC Boston". ESPN. August 21, 2020.
- "Magical 59 takes Ikeda to the top". Japan Golf Tour Organization. May 19, 2022.
- Lambley, Garrin (April 15, 2023). "Casey Jarvis shoots 59 to equal Sunshine Tour record". The South African website. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
- "Stephan Jaeger shoots the first 58 in Web.com Tour history". Golf News Net. July 28, 2016.
- "Del Rey in the record books after posting an incredible 58 on the Challenge Tour". Irish Times. October 1, 2021.
- "Burns gets first Nike Tour victory". TimesDaily. Florence, Alabama. May 18, 1998. p. 2D. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
- "Nike Tour's Dunakey becomes fourth to shoot 59". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Milwaukee, Wisconsin. June 6, 1998. p. 6C. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
- "Gore Shoots 59 on Nationwide Tour". Los Angeles Times. August 6, 2005. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
- "French golfer shoots European Tour's first official 59". ESPN. Associated Press. May 26, 2006. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
- "Will Wilcox bags 4th 59 on Web.com". ESPN. July 15, 2013. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
- Shain, Jeff (July 26, 2013). "Knox makes 'nearly everything' to shoot magical 59". PGA Tour. Retrieved July 29, 2013.
- "Ravano shots second official 59 in European Tour history". PGA European Tour. July 15, 2016.
- "Sam Saunders, grandson of Arnold Palmer, shoots 59 on Web.com Tour". ESPN. September 28, 2017.
- Myers, Alex (April 21, 2023). "Mac Meissner shoots eighth sub-60 score in Korn Ferry Tour history thanks to walk-off eagle". Golf Digest. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
- "Kevin Sutherland shoots first 59 on Champion's Tour at Dick's Sporting Goods Open". ESPN. Associated Press. August 16, 2014.
- "Martín moves ahead at Staysure Tour season finale". PGA European Tour. December 15, 2018.
- Woodard, Adam (September 5, 2019). "David Carey shoots 11-under 57 at Alps Tour's Cervino Open in Italy". Golfweek. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
- "58 sure is great". The Province. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. August 7, 1984. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
- "Maruyama hits record low of 58 in qualifying". The Independent. London. June 7, 2000. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
- Hunter, Rory (September 18, 2001). "Bohn's round of 58 earns place in history". The Independent. London. Retrieved May 9, 2010.
- "John Hahn Fires 58 at European Tour Qualifying Tournament". Golf.com. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
- "Player fires 59". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. Daytona Beach, Florida. Associated Press. November 30, 1974. p. 3B. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
- "Irie fires lowest score in Japan's pro history". Singapore Monitor. Reuter. April 7, 1985 – via National Library Board (Singapore).
- "'99 Am Champ Gossett Shoots 59". CBS News. December 2, 2000. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
- "Magic Mickelson fires 59 in Kauai". BBC Sport. November 24, 2004. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
- "McIntosh shoots 59 in Qld PGA". The Sydney Morning Herald. November 12, 2005. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
- "59 shots! Martin Kaymer writes golf history with a fabulous round". EPD Tour. June 21, 2006. Archived from the original on July 16, 2006. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
- "Harrison Frazar shoots a 59 to seize Q-school lead". The Seattle Times. Seattle, Washington. Associated Press. December 7, 2008. Archived from the original on June 22, 2011. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
- "Green leads, Lee fires 59 in Carrus Tauranga Open". New Zealand Golf. April 30, 2010.
- "Ashok takes round one lead at TATA Open Golf tourney". Times of India. November 18, 2010. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
- "59:a av Jens Dantorp". Svensk Golf (in Swedish). September 8, 2011. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
- "Charles Tour: Carrus Open: Brown joins 59 club in Tauranga". New Zealand Golf. September 26, 2014.
- "McCurdy shoots 59 in SwingThought.com Tour event". Golfweek. July 16, 2015. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
- Langer, Christian (August 11, 2015). "59! Robin Kind and the round of his life". Pro Golf Tour. Archived from the original on August 16, 2016. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
- Prise, Kevin (October 12, 2016). "Love shoots 59 at First Stage of Q-School". PGA Tour. Retrieved October 13, 2016.
- "Woody Austin shoots 59 at Diamond Resorts Invitational". ESPN. Associated Press. January 13, 2017.
- "'Mr 59' Sutijet and Chanachok aim to reign #QueensCup". Asian Tour. June 2, 2017. Archived from the original on June 6, 2017. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
- Lettenbichler, Matthias (July 6, 2017). "59 again! Hinrich Arkenau shoots 13 birdies". PGA of Germany. Archived from the original on June 12, 2017. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
- "Brown bounces back with magical round of 59". New Zealand Golf. April 20, 2018.
- "Toronto golfer Drew Nesbitt shoots record 59 in Brazil". The Star. The Canadian Press. September 22, 2018.
- Cox, Chris (June 16, 2019). "Sigg cards second 59 in Mackenzie Tour history". PGA Tour.
- "56e Mémorial Olivier Barras". Golf-Club Crans-sur-Sierre. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
- Woodard, Adam (October 14, 2020). "Former Georgia Tech standout Luke Schniederjans shoots 11-under 59 in mini-tour event". Golfweek. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
- "Grehan skates home as South's magical 59 lands Motocaddy Masters". Irish Golfer. September 10, 2021. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
- "Phachara storms to five-shot win at Singha Pattaya Open". Big Golf Blog. October 24, 2021. Retrieved June 26, 2022.
- "Mr. 59, Gregorio De Leo wins the 8th Memorial Giorgio Bordoni presented by Aon". Alps Tour. May 27, 2022. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
- Monday Q Info [@acaseofthegolf1] (October 12, 2022). "How much talent is there in pro golf?" (Tweet). Retrieved October 12, 2022 – via Twitter.
- Fields, Bill (June 15, 2009). "The Magic Number". Golf World. pp. 52–59. Retrieved August 7, 2009.
- "Best 18-Hole Score on LPGA Tour". Liveabout. August 3, 2019. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
- "2021 Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions presented by Insurance Office of America". Golf Channel. January 24, 2021. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
- "Ever-busy, multi-talented Nilsson dedicates time to teaching, traveling, forming friendships". LPGA. February 3, 2003. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
- Cutler, Bethan (June 10, 2004). "Cecilia Ekelundh: What's In The Bag?". Ladies European Tour. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved May 4, 2010.