The lowest 18-hole score on the PGA Tour is an astonishing 58, a score once thought to be completely unreachable in professional golf. This historic round was shot by Jim Furyk at the 2016 Travelers Championship. This article will break down that legendary day, celebrate the other members of the exclusive sub-60 club, and, most importantly, show you what practical lessons you can take from these incredible scores to start lowering your own.
On August 7, 2016, something special happened at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut. Jim Furyk, a former U.S. Open champion known more for his grit and one-of-a-kind swing than for sheer firepower, found a gear that no one in the history of the PGA Tour had ever found before. He shot a 12-under-par 58 on a par-70 course, a round that still sends ripples through the golf community.
What makes Furyk’s 58 so remarkable isn’t just the final number, but the context surrounding it. First, Furyk was already in the record books for shooting a 59 at the 2013 BMW Championship, making him one of the few players to achieve that milestone. So, on that sunny Sunday in Connecticut, he wasn’t just chasing a personal best, he was breaking a record he already co-held.
His round was a masterclass in precision and putting. Playing in the final round of the tournament (though he was not in contention to win), he started hot with a birdie on the 2nd hole before reeling off an eagle and five more birdies for an jaw-dropping front-nine 27. Everyone watching knew something historic was on the table.
The back nine was about holding on and managing the immense pressure. He added four more birdies, including three straight from holes 10 through 12. Stalking the final green on 18, needing just a par to secure the 58, he calmly two-putted from 22 feet. The ball dropped, and Jim Furyk etched his name into history. His stats for the day were almost perfect:
What’s incredibly inspirational about Furyk's accomplishment is that he did it with a swing that many coaches would have tried to "fix." His famous, looping, figure-eight motion is proof that there is no one "right" way to swing a golf club. Consistency, strategy, and mental strength are what truly create low scores.
While Furyk’s 58 stands alone at the top, a final score of 59 remains one of golf's most celebrated achievements. It requires a nearly flawless performance where every part of a player's game is firing on all cylinders. This elite group is often called the "59 Club," and membership is incredibly rare.
Here are the golfers who have officially recorded a 59 in a PGA Tour event:
Watching these guys shoot scores that most of us only dream of in video games can feel otherworldly. But as a coach, I can tell you that these rounds aren't magic, they are the result of specific, well-executed fundamentals under immense pressure. Understanding these elements can help you identify areas for improvement in your own game.
To have any chance at a sub-60 round, you can't just hit greens - you have to hit them close. Jim Furyk hit all 18 greens in regulation, which is staggering on its own. But the real key is Proximity to the Hole. This stat measures how close a player's approach shots end up to the pin. On days they shoot 58 or 59, their average proximity is just a fraction of the Tour average. They're consistently leaving themselves putts of 15 feet or less, which drastically increases the chances of birdies piling up.
You can hit it to 10 feet all day long, but if you don't make the putts, it doesn't matter. In Furyk’s 58, he made over 130 feet of putts. Think about that for a second. That's not just making the short ones, that's draining several momentum-building putts from over 15 or 20 feet. On days like these, players describe the hole as looking like a bucket. Their reads are perfect, their speed is flawless, and they have an unshakeable belief that every putt is going in.
You'll notice most of these low scores happen on Par-70 courses. These courses have two par-5s instead of the typical four, which means there are more par-4s and fewer "easy" birdie opportunities. This is where strategy becomes paramount. Players shooting 58 or 59 aren't just blindly firing at every flag. They are playing a calculated game, picking conservative targets when they need to and being aggressive only when the reward outweighs the risk. They fundamentally avoid bogeys - you won't find many low rounds with more than one bogey, if any.
This might be the most important piece of the puzzle. The closer they get to the record, the louder the internal and external noise becomes. The secret they all share is a relentless focus on the present moment. They don’t think about shooting 59 when they’re standing on the 14th tee. They think about one thing: hitting a good tee shot on the 14th hole. Then they focus on the approach. Then the putt. They break the round down into a series of individual tasks, executing one at a time and refusing to get ahead of themselves until the final putt drops.
Alright, so we've established that shooting 58 is pretty tough. But the principles that build these historic rounds are the same principles that will help you break 100, 90, or 80 for the first time. You don't have to be a Tour pro to think like one.
The vast majority of your strokes happen within 100 yards of the green. This is where amateurs can make the biggest and fastest improvements. Instead of spending all your time on the range banging drivers, dedicate half your practice to wedge shots and putting.
Furyk didn't rush his final putt for 58. He went through his routine just like it was any other shot. Amateurs often lack a consistent pre-shot routine, which leads to indecision and anxiety. Your routine doesn't need to be long or complicated, but it does need to be yours. Stand behind the ball, pick your target, take a practice a wing, step in, and go. A consistent routine is your anchor in the storm of a round.
The quickest way to slash your handicap is not a swing change, it’s by improving your course management. Before you swing, ask yourself a simple question: "What is the smartest shot here?" not "What is the most heroic shot?" This means:
This kind of strategic thinking is what saves strokes and prevents blow-up holes, which is the key to lowering your scores consistently.
Jim Furyk's 58 and the broader "59 Club" represent the absolute pinnacle of scoring performance in golf. These rounds are a beautiful blend of technical skill, mental fortitude, and relentless one-shot-at-a-time focus. While we may never post a number that low, the principles they used are universal and can guide every golfer on their own path to improvement.
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