David Skins had a 9-foot sign on his way to a 59 at the Sanderson Farms Championship, but unfortunately he missed low.
He sank the par putt for a 12-under 60 and set a course record at Jackson Country Club.
The British player appeared poised to become the third player to sign for sub-60 rounds on this year's PGA Tour. But the tension seemed to be eating away at him.
After the round, Skins said, “How many shots can a 9-footer get to 59?''
“It's hard not to be a little disappointed, but I want to look back at how I was mentally in control and how I continued to attack. I wasn't thinking about the future at all, but… That's what you'll get from today.”
The Skins started the day on the back nine with back-to-back birdies. He added four consecutive birdies from holes 14 to 17 and made par, finishing with 30 strokes.
The former Tennessee Volunteer went nuclear on the back nine. make 6 birdies Finish the round with a 60 on the next eight holes.
Skins explained that if he could do it again, he would change his putting line on the final hole.
“It broke more than I expected,” Skins explained. “I thought it was lower grain than horizontal grain. That's what this golf course is about. Sometimes the grain is a little different than you think.”
But he didn't concentrate on missing the short putt on No. 9.
“There were a lot of things I got right, so I’m going to focus on the things I got right,” he said.
Skins' putter was red all day, so he should focus on what he did right.
The 42-year-old made a putt worth 135 feet to take the lead. He posted a 3.730 stroke on the putt, which placed him second in the field.
“Some days they might not go, but it's great to see couples participate,” he said. “I was able to keep the momentum going and that was the best part. I didn't think too much about the score, just where I was going to take my next shot.”
Despite the clean scorecard, the Skins only saw five fairways all day. But his approach game made up for it, hitting 16 of 18 greens and earning a 4.996 stroke gain on approaches to the green, No. 1 in the field.
The Skins' short game made up for their struggles off the tee, allowing them to make history and take an early lead over Mississippi State. He is scheduled to tee off with Chandler Phillips and Vince Whaley at 2:18 p.m. ET in the second round of the Sanderson Farms Championship.
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation's Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough On all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirls Instagram @golf_girl_sl.
