Appleby cards PGA record-tying 59
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — Stuart Appleby understands the scrutiny that might come with shooting a 59 on a par-70 course.
Four others did it on the PGA Tour, and the Australian joined them in hitting golf's magic number on Sunday to win the Greenbrier Classic. It came less than a month after Paul Goydos had a 59 at the John Deere Classic.
Appleby's achievement was the first 59 on a par-70 course. Goydos' came on a par 71.
The three other 59s were on par 72s: Al Geiberger at the 1977 Memphis Classic, Chip Beck at the 1991 Las Vegas Invitational and David Duval at the 1999 Bob Hope Classic.
"Look, I'll debate it with you. I agree," Appleby said. "I can see both sides of the fence. It is a number. I shot that number.
"But who says par is supposed to be 72? There's a lot of great courses that aren't 72."
Golfers had raved about an Old White course that already yielded J.B. Holmes' 60 and D.A. Points' 61 on Saturday, and Jeff Overton's 62 on Friday.
Appleby was Points' playing partner in the third round. On Sunday, it was Appleby's turn — and he could sense something different was going on.
"I felt relaxed today," he said. "I walked a bit slower than I normally do. I'm a pacey sort of person. Not in playing, the golf sense, but from an energy point of view.
"Today, I felt much more — I slowed myself down and just, yeah, it was pretty comfortable."
The 59 broke the course record of 60 set by Sam Snead in 1950 and matched by Holmes, although Appleby said Snead should be given more credit due to the equipment used 60 years ago.
"I think I would have to shoot a 56 to even compare to something like that for sure," Appleby said.
Making just one bogey all week, Appleby birdied the final three holes, then watched third-round leader Overton's long birdie try on the par-3 18th slide just past the cup to give Appleby a one-stroke victory.
Appleby's 11-under round put him at 22 under. Overton, playing three groups behind Appleby, shot 67 to finish at 21 under.
In remaining winless in five years on the Tour, Overton had 34 putts in the final round, three-putting three times.
"I played great, hit a lot of great shots," he said. "You can't win golf tournaments when you putt it that bad."
The news wasn't all sour for Overton. His third runner-up finish of the year moved him from 10th to fourth in the points table that will determine eight automatic spots for this year's U.S. Ryder Cup team — Tiger Woods fell from seventh to ninth.
Appleby, who earned the $1.08 million winner's check, easily beat his previous career low of 62 in the 2003 Las Vegas Invitational.
The end of a four-year winless drought came during Appleby's 11th straight week of tournament play. The 39-year-old isn't done, either, and he'll tee off in the Bridgestone Invitational starting Thursday in Akron, Ohio.
"I'm not getting any younger," Appleby said. "I want to be a yearly holder of a trophy for sure."
