Mark Harris
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There is nothing ‘normal’ about shooting 60 on the PGA Tour, but S.Y. Noh’s round of 11-under in the opening round of the AT&T Byron Nelson on Thursday was especially unique.
The 31-year-old stood on the Par 4 12th tee at 7-under par for the day fresh off of a birdie on No. 11. After pushing his tees shot well-right on No. 12, he took a close look at his driver head looking for a potential crack. He was able to make par on the hole, but a similar scenario unfolded on No. 13.
READ: COLLEGE GOLFER SHOOTS 62 IN US OPEN QUALIFIER, THEN DISQUALIFIES HIMSELF
His tee shot on the Par 4 13th went well left. He then hit a provisional, which went even further left, before confirming that his driver head did, in fact, have a crack in it. He was able to save par on No. 13 before pushing the adversity to the side and making birdies on four of his final five holes to card his 60.
Noh did not have to continue the rest of his round with the cracked driver head. Per Rule 4.1a(2) in the Rules of Golf, if a conforming club is damaged during a round, except in cases of abuse, a player may repair or replace it with another club. Noh screwed on his fresh driver head on No. 16.
S.Y. Noh Wasn’t Concerned About Shooting 59
His cracked driver certainly threw an unexpected twist in Noh’s round and only adds to how insanely impressive his day was.
After making an eagle on the Par 5 9th hole it became very clear that Noh could be well on his way to having an historically special day. He made the turn at 6-under, and after playing the first eight holes on the back nine four-under-par, 59 was very much in play with the 18th hole being a reachable Par 5.
Noh, however, didn’t seem to care about becoming the 10th player in PGA Tour history to shoot under 60.
After finding the fairway with his tee shot on the 18th, Noh was left with 257 yards to the green. Instead of going for the green in two and bringing the water hazard in front into play he elected to lay up. He ultimately hit a wedge inside 10 feet with his third shot and made a birdie to card his 60.
Noh’s lone win on Tour came in 2014 when he won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans back when the tournament wasn’t a team event. His last Top 10 finish on Tour came in 2017, but he certainly put himself in a great spot this week with his bogey-free 60 on Thursday.
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