Sepp Straka put the golf world on 59 watch before coming up short of the magic number, but his 9-under 62 proved to be enough for a two-shot win at the John Deere Classic on Sunday in Silvis, Ill.
Straka was 11 under par through 14 holes at the par-71 TPC Deere Run before he ran out of steam, settling for three straight pars before putting his second shot at the par-4 18th hole into the water, leading to a double bogey.
That cost the 30-year-old from Austria a chance at the 13th sub-60 round in PGA Tour history, but with his 21-under 263, Straka still won for the second time on tour, as Brendon Todd and Alex Smalley failed to make enough of a push down the stretch.
Brendon Todd, the 54-hole leader, got to 20 under for the tournament before a missed par putt at the par-3 16th dropped him back. He (68) and playing partner Alex Smalley (67) could only par the final few holes and tie for second at 19 under.
Straka, who began the day four shots off Todd’s lead, started his round birdie-eagle, the latter a downhill 20-foot putt at the par-5 second. He added four more birdies on the front nine, punctuated by a 40-foot birdie roll at the par-4 ninth, to go out in 7-under 28, tying the lowest nine-hole score in tournament history.
Straka added four straight birdies at Nos. 11-14 to get into range of a 59 — or lower — but petered out from there.
The last sub-60 round on tour remains Scottie Scheffler’s 59 during the Northern Trust in August 2020.
–Field Level Media