PGA Tour rookie Hayden Springer had an impressive debut at the John Deere Classic, cruising around TPC Deere Run with a 12-under 59. His putter was in top form.
He had eight birdies and two eagles. Second sub-60 round PGA Tour Player of the Year: Just two weeks ago, Cameron Young shot a 59 in the third round of the Travelers Championship.
“It’s really special to be able to do that,” Springer said after Thursday’s round.
“I played well last week, but it was tough to get going and put up low scores, so today is a special day. It feels good to stand here and play a good round of golf.”
The 27-year-old made par on the first hole and then exploded, hitting a 13-foot eagle on the par-5 second hole and then reeling off four straight birdies – none of which were easy.
On the third hole, he chipped in from about 62 feet from the green. Springer’s touch was nearly perfect, and the ball just needed to hit the hole. His birdie on the par-4 fourth hole was from just over 10 feet. His birdie on the fifth hole was from over 20 feet, and his four consecutive birdies on the sixth hole were from over 16 feet.
At this point, Springer felt like he could hit a low score today.
“I had a putt maybe 20 feet off the fringe of the green and it went in,” he said. “I thought, ‘OK, I’m not going to miss anything today. I’m going to make almost every putt I can.’ So maybe that putt going in was the catalyst for me thinking maybe I could hit it really low.”
Springer added two more birdies on the eighth and ninth holes to finish in 27 strokes.
After the turn, he made five straight pars and then his seventh birdie on the 15th. The former Texas Christian Horned Frog made an 18-foot putt to move to 9 under. He was frustrated, but explained that his caddie helped calm him down.
Springer didn’t think 59 was possible entering the par-5 17th hole, but he holed out from 55 yards for his second eagle.
“I had a great lie there,” he said. “I hit a good shot. The ball just landed where we were looking, a little short and to the left, and it just happened to go in. I didn’t think that shot was going to go in, but it helped me shoot 59.”
Needing a birdie on the 18th hole to finish under 60, the rookie sank a 12-foot putt to achieve that.
Springer made a 111-foot putt Thursday for all of his score of 59. He hit 14 of 18 shots on the green, 10 of 14 on the fairway and four of four on a scramble.
In strokes gained, he was fifth in tee shots, fourth in approaches to the green, first around the green, third in putting, first in total strokes gained, and +10.110 over the field.
Springer put that on display Thursday with a nearly flawless round of golf, becoming just the 14th player on the PGA Tour to shoot a round under 60 and just the second player to do so at the John Deere Classic, joining Paul Goydos, who shot 59 in the first round at the 2010 tournament.
Fight with a heavy heart.
Last month, Hayden Springer’s daughter died at the age of three after battling trisomy 18.
Hayden and his wife Emma reflect on Sage’s achievement after starting T3 in the final stage. pic.twitter.com/q5n03dvxyf
— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) December 14, 2023
His final year hasn’t been easy. It’s been filled with heartache and determination. Last November, he tragically lost his 3-year-old daughter, Sage, to Trisomy 18, and a month later, Springer earned his PGA Tour card.
The rookie now leads by four strokes over Harry Hall, who shot an excellent 8-under 63. With 12 players shooting 65 or worse on the day, it looks like another birdie fest is in the cards.
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Follow us for more golf articles. Follow You can follow us on all major social platforms. You can also follow us on Twitter Follow Instagram: @savannah_leigh_sports
