Three sub-60 rounds in eight days spark debate over golf's 59 myth

Three players posted 59-stroke rounds within a week, prompting questions about whether the once-rare 59 is losing its mystique.

In the past eight days, professional golf witnessed three rounds of 59, a score once considered almost mythical. Scott Stevens opened the streak with an 11-under 59 at the PGA Tour Americas Osprey Valley Open in Caledon, Ontario, on July 24. The next day, Michael Kim delivered a dramatic birdie on the final hole to finish 12-under 59 at the PGA Tour’s 3M Open.

Korn Ferry Tour newcomer Chris Francoeur added an 11-under 59 in the second round of the Utah Championship, propelling him to a 17-under total and the tournament lead. Historically, only a handful of players broke 60 before 2013, with the first 59 recorded by Al Geiberger in 1977. Since then, sub-60 rounds have become more common but still noteworthy, highlighted by Jim Furyk’s 58 in 2016. The recent cluster of 59s raises questions about whether the score’s legendary status is fading, even as it continues to be a rare achievement on tours like the DP World Tour, where only one 59 has ever been recorded.