PGA Tour rookie Hayden Springer made fairly the debut on the John Deere Traditional as he fired off a 12-under 59 to make TPC Deere Run look simple. His putter was pink sizzling.
He made eight birdies and two eagles to mark the second sub-60 spherical of the yr on the PGA Tour. Simply two weeks in the past, Cameron Younger recorded a 59 throughout the third spherical of the Vacationers Championship.
“It’s fairly particular to have the ability to do this,” Springer mentioned after his spherical on Thursday.
“I performed nicely final week, but it surely’s been powerful to get stuff going and go low — So, it’s particular. It feels good to be standing right here and to have shot spherical of golf.”
The 27-year-old made par on the primary gap, then went nuclear. He made a 13-footer for eagle on the par-5, 2nd adopted by 4 straight birdies. These weren’t simple birdies both.
He chipped in from round 62 ft off the inexperienced on the third. Springer’s contact was almost excellent, because the ball solely had eyes for the outlet. His birdie on the par-4 4th was somewhat over 10 ft. The birdie at 5 was over 20 ft lengthy, and his fourth straight birdie at sixth was over 16 ft.
At this level, Springer felt like at present, he may see him shoot a low rating.
“I had come up simply in need of the inexperienced on the perimeter and possibly had a 20-footer, and I made that,” he mentioned. “I used to be like, okay, ‘I really feel like I’m not lacking at present. I’m just about holing any putt I take a look at.’ So in all probability that putt getting in was type of the set off, like we’d be capable to go tremendous low.”
Springer made two extra birdies on 8 and 9 to show in 27 strokes.
After the flip, he made 5 straight pars earlier than his seventh birdie got here at 15. The previous Texas Christian Horned Frog sank an 18-footer to maneuver to 9-under. He defined that he acquired pissed off, however his caddie saved him balanced.
Springer didn’t assume a 59 was on the desk going into the par-5 seventeenth, however he holed out from 55 yards for his second eagle.
“I had a extremely good lie over there,” he mentioned. “I hit it good. It landed proper the place we had been wanting, simply brief left, and occurred to go in. I didn’t ever assume I’d make that shot, but it surely modified the momentum to have the ability to go shoot 59.”
To report a sub-60 spherical, he wanted a birdie on the 18th, and the rookie sank a 12-footer to take action.
Springer earned each little bit of this 59, making 111 ft of putts on Thursday. He hit 14-of-18 greens in regulation, 10-of-14 fairways and went 4-of-4 scrambling.
Within the strokes gained classes, he’s No. 5 off the tee, No. 4 in method to the inexperienced, No. 1 across the inexperienced, No. 3 in placing and No. 1 in strokes gained whole, selecting up +10.110 on the sphere.
Springer had an almost excellent spherical of golf and confirmed Thursday. He grew to become the 14th PGA Tour participant to report a sub-60 spherical and the second on the John Deere Traditional after Paul Goydos shot his personal 59 in spherical 1 of the 2010 occasion.
Battling with a heavy coronary heart.
Final month, Hayden Springer’s daughter handed away at age 3 after battling Trisomy 18.
Hayden and his spouse, Emma, replicate on Sage’s legacy after a T3 begin at Remaining Stage. pic.twitter.com/q5n03dvxyf
— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) December 14, 2023
His final yr has not been a simple one. It was filled with heartache but in addition willpower. He tragically misplaced his three-year-old daughter Sage to Trisomy 18 final November, and a month later, Springer earned his PGA Tour card.
The rookie at the moment leads by 4 photographs over Harry Corridor, who shot a formidable 8-under 63. There are 12 gamers at 65 or decrease on the day, as one other birdie fest appears to be on the horizon.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Taking part in By. For extra golf protection, observe us @_PlayingThrough on all main social platforms. It’s also possible to observe her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
