BOISE, Idaho — THIS DAY IN SPORTS…May 12, 2012, 10 years ago today:
Australian-turned-Oklahoman Rhein Gibson shoots a 16-under-par 55 at River Oaks Country Club in Edmond, OK, believed to be the lowest 18-hole score in history. Gibson recorded 12 birdies and two eagles during his amazing round, with six of the birdies coming in the final seven holes. For comparison’s sake, the lowest round ever in a PGA Tour event is 58, a feat accomplished by Jim Furyk in the final round of the 2016 Travelers Championship.
Gibson was no hacker. He was a four-time NAIA All-American at Oklahoma Christian University and qualified for the 2014 U.S. Open, where he made the cut and landed in a group with Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth in the third round. Gibson finished 72nd—it’s the only major he has ever played. He’s on the Korn Ferry Tour this season. In fact, Gibson played in the Albertsons Boise Open last year, withdrawing after a first-round 73.
Following Furyk on the PGA Tour all-time list, there are nine players who have shot 59 in a single round. The first to do it was Al Geiberger in 1977, and the most recent was Scottie Scheffler in 2020 (there have been four in the past five years).
The Korn Ferry Tour record is also 58, carded in 2016 by Stephen Jaeger in 2016 (who happened to be the 2020 Albertsons Boise Open champion). There have ben six 59s on the Korn Ferry, and one of them stands as Hillcrest Country Club’s pro record, posted in 2013 by Russell Knox. Despite that second-round magic, Knox wouold finish the tournament tied for 12th.
(Tom Scott hosts the Scott Slant segment during the football season on KTVB’s Sunday Sports Extra. He also anchors four sports segments each weekday on 95.3 FM KTIK and one on News/Talk KBOI. His Scott Slant column runs every Wednesday.)
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