Windham Clark had an incredible round Saturday.
In fact, it was the worst round of his life.
He shot a 12-under 60 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Saturday, vaulting him to the top of the leaderboard and setting a Pebble Beach course record in the process. He is currently closing in on the championship at 17 under.
“I always think, you [have the chance to] Shoot 59, I feel nervous even at home. I think that happens to any golfer,” Clark explained after his round.
“When you have a signature event at a place like this, it makes it even more special. I think that’s where the nerves are going for the last six holes. Even though it’s Saturday, we have a chance to do something special. So it felt like the tournament was over. Even though I didn’t get as many as 59 points, 60 points is still pretty great.”
The fireworks started early and often when Clark holed a 38-foot eagle on the par-5 second.
It was a harbinger of things to come.
Clark got his first birdie of the day on the 4th hole and improved to 3 under par.
Two holes later, Clark made another eagle from long range. He made an eagle putt from 42 feet.
Clark then went on to make five straight birdies, three of them on one of Pebble Beach’s most difficult courses. The eighth, ninth and 10th holes were all over par, but Clark made it look easy.
He came out with an 8-under 28, tying Pebble Beach’s front nine record. As Clark made, it was largely due to his hot putter. 150 foot putt on the front nine, according to golf statistician Justin Ray.
His back also got off to a good start. Clark’s second shot His approach from the left rough on No. 10 was spectacular, and he stayed within inches of it.
He wasn’t finished yet.
Clark birdied the 11th, but made an adventurous bogey on the par-3 12th.
Spotting a sand trap on the right side of the green, Clark hit a poor second shot into the deep rough between the bunker on the left and the green.
He was forced to chip left-handed and scalped his third shot like a 15-handicapper.
“I have a solid left-handed swing and can hit it. My lies weren’t great and I didn’t get great results, but I really thought I could hit the shot,” Clark said on the 12th. I talked about the eyes.
“I also thought being left-handed was a good mental check for me, because it’s something I usually avoid under pressure. So I decided to give myself a little challenge. Let’s see if you can mentally handle this and not be so scared. I tried to make the shot, I missed, but it worked.”
Oh, Clark Saved Bogey The shot from about 25 feet was the only drop shot of the day.
“[I was fired up about] That bogey putt was on No. 12,” Clark said.
“Honestly, out of all the putts today, I wasn’t really trying to make that one. I tried to move on. As it went in, I was like, okay, hey, I’m hot.”
Clark’s success continued on the next two holes. He got back on track with birdies on the 13th and 14th.
By that time, the sub-60 rounds had begun in earnest.
But that wasn’t ultimately what it was meant to be.
Clark was aiming for a birdie on the 16th hole, but his 10-footer for birdie fell short of the middle of the hole. A similar incident occurred on the par-3 17th, when another spin would have given Clark another birdie.
“I didn’t think about it at all until I got to the 18th tee box. And when I did, I was like, ‘Oh my God, I should have gotten one of the last two. I thought, “I just have to do that.” Birdie 18,” Clark said.
“I knew once I hit the fairway on the 18th, hopefully I’d have a chance to hit that special number. I gave it my best shot…I’m very happy with the round. I’d shoot 12 under no matter where. You should always be happy.”
Clark from the 18th fairway He took a 4-iron from 230 yards. Into the middle of the green. Had the eagle fallen, Clark would have completed the 13th round of sub-60 in PGA Tour history.
Still, his eagle attempt on the 18th was inches short, as were his putts on the 16th and 17th.
“On the third straight hole, he was on track to drop and was just a few inches short,” CBS broadcaster Jim Nantz said.
Clark came just short of posting a historic 57, the lowest score in PGA Tour history. It would also have been played on a par 72, which would have made it all the more impressive.
Nevertheless, Clark had to settle for a 12-under 60, which any golfer would have taken. Now, the reigning U.S. Open champion is at the helm of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
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.
