Nick Taylor pulled away from TPC Scottsdale in the first round of the WM Phoenix Open, largely due to his scorching putter.
He made a 184-foot putt and extended seven strokes on the green for an 11-under 60.
The impressive mark tied the course record held by Phil Mickelson, who shot 60 twice at TPC Scottsdale. The first time he did so was in the second round of the 2005 WM Phoenix Open. He then did the same in the first round in 2013. Mickelson went on to win both at the WM Phoenix Open.
Grant Waite and Mark Calcavecchia also share this record, shooting 60 in 1996 and 2001, respectively. Interestingly, Mickelson won in 1996 and Calcavecchia won in 2001.
Taylor’s 11 underscoring him Leading by 5 strokes through 18 holes. The five-stroke difference tied him with Jim Gallagher Jr. for the largest 18-hole lead in a stroke play event, according to the official PGA Tour announcement. After the opening round of the 1993 Tour Championship, Gallagher Jr. held a five-shot lead.
“I felt like the line looked great. The speed was amazing,” Taylor said after the round.
“I don’t know what to say. I’ve probably never putt this well. Yes, the line was great and it was a continuation of last night. It was good to start on the 16th and I made the putt there and it went in. It was good to see it go.”
The Canadian holed the famous 9-foot hole for birdie on the 16th, much to the delight of the early morning crowd.
He went on to make seven more birdies in the final 11 holes.
“I had a great drive with the ball in my hands, I was hitting the irons really well, and I basically made every putt,” Taylor added.
“It was a day I didn’t want to end.”
Luckily for Taylor, his day at TPC Scottsdale isn’t over yet.
Due to Thursday’s 3-hour and 30-minute delay, half of the field, including Taylor, were unable to complete their rounds before sunset. So the second wave had to finish its patrol on Friday, but frost delayed action for another two hours.
As a result, the second wave, originally scheduled to start early Friday morning, changed direction and aimed for an additional 18 holes. That meant Taylor had about 30 minutes from the time he got to the ninth green until he had to stand on the first tee to start the second round.
“Obviously, it’s a pretty quick recovery, but that’s a good thing because when you’re playing well, you want to keep playing,” Taylor said.
For his sake, we hope the Canadian can continue this strong streak.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.Be sure to check it out @_PlayingThrough Cover more golf. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko In the same way.
