Over the course of golf history, a handful of golfers (11 total) shot the magic number in golf—59— but even today, one golfer played a round that no one has ever matched. While everyone else shot a 59, this golfer scored the one and only 58.
Who shot the lowest golf score ever in PGA history? Jim Furyk scored the only 58 in the history of the PGA Tour at the Travelers Championship in 2016. This was the lowest score ever for a round of golf, and to put that achievement into perspective, the PGA Tour has played over 613,000 rounds. On the LIV Golf Tour, Bryson DeChambeau made history, shooting a 58 in August of 2023.
While a 58 is the lowest score ever in PGA history, there have been lower scores. There have also been some incredible rounds in PGA history.
Here’s what you’ll learn by reading on:
- More about the lowest score ever in PGA history
- Any golf scores lower than 58
- The top 10 golf scores in PGA history
- What’s the lowest golf score ever in history?
- Has anyone ever birdied every hole?
If you’d like to learn more about the lowest round of golf ever, please keep reading.
What Is the Lowest Single Round Golf Scores Ever in PGA History?
Three years after Jim Furyk scored a 59 at the 2013 BMW Championship, he would score a round that no one has matched since in PGA history. He would shoot a 58 in the final round at the Travelers Championship in 2016. Furyk would begin with a par on the first, but his momentum built from that point on.
The birdies came immediately at either side of an eagle, and after Furyk scored a par on the 7th, Furyk would continue to score a birdie for the next 7 holes.
Even despite his 58, Furyk could score even lower than that because he missed a 12-foot putt at the 14th. This was the lowest golf score ever in PGA Tour history.
To see Furyk achieve a 58, check out the video below:
Besides Furyk and his score at 58, 11 other players scored 59. The players who have carded a 59 include:
- Al Geiberger (1977)
- Chip Beck (1991)
- David Duval (1999)
- Stuart Applyby (2010)
- Paul Goydos (2010)
- Jim Furyk (2013)
- Justin Thomas (2017)
- Adam Hadwin (2017)
- Brandt Snedeker (2018)
- Kevin Chappell (2019)
- Scottie Scheffler (2020)
Related article: What Percentage of Golfers Break 100?
What’s The Lowest Golf Score Ever On The LIV Golf Tour?
View this post on Instagram
Bryson DeChambeau shot a 58 on Sunday, August 14, 2023, by shooting a 12-under 58 in the final round of the LIV Golf Greenbrier. This is the lowest round ever shot on the LIV Golf Tour, and it is tied for the fourth-lowest round-ever shot in professional golf.
DeChambeau started hot with two birdies, and he didn’t score over a 3 after 7 holes. This included four birdies in a row. His only bogey was on the eighth, yet he came back strong on the ninth with another birdie and a score of 28 through the first nine. He then continued his hot streak with birdies on the 10th, 11th, and 12th holes.
He made his final birdie on the 18th hole with a 40-foot epic putt to secure the victory.
DeChambeau’s round was highlighted by his driving distance. He has some of the longest drives in pro golf, which was a huge help for this history-making round of 58. He also hit 16 greens in regulation, which was the second-most of any player.
DeChambeau’s 58 is an incredible achievement and will surely go down in golf history. He is now one of only four players to have shot 58 in a professional tournament.
Read more: What Clubs Helped Bryson DeChambeau Shoot A 58?
Has Any Golfer Ever Shot Less Than a 58?
The lowest score in golf ever achieved was Rhein Gibson, who shot a 55. The Guinness World Records recognized Gibson’s score on May 12, 2012, at the River Oaks Golf Club in Edmond, Oklahoma.
Important to note: This isn’t the lowest round in PGA history because it wasn’t a part of the PGA Tour but the lowest score ever carded in golf. 55 marks out of the total number of strokes that Gibson took that day.
You also have a former PGA Tour player named Homero Blancas Jr., who shot a 55 at a college tournament in August 1962. It happened at the Premier Golf Course west of Longview, Texas. However, his 55 has always been downplayed. Because the course only measures 5,100 yards, the Guinness World Book of Records removed Blancas’s score and said that the course must measure at least 6,500 yards.
Still, Blancas would go on to have an illustrious career. Despite the official records not recognizing his score, when you ask him, “What meant more, winning the 1970 Colonial National Invitational or shooting a 55,“ Blancas will tell you without hesitation, at age 84, that the round at the Premier Golf Course where he shot a 55 meant more.
Related article: Average Golf Score for 9 Holes
The Top 10 Lowest Scores Ever in PGA History
1. Al Geiberger
The first to score a 59 at the 1977 Memphis Classic, Al would be honored to be the first player to score a 59. Especially at the time, this was the lowest PGA score ever achieved.
Geiberger’s 59 at the Danny Thomas Memphis Classic was a historic moment in golf. It was the first time a player shot under 60 in a PGA Tour event. 11 birdies and an eagle highlighted Geiberger’s round. He hit every fairway and every green in regulation and had only 23 putts.
Geiberger’s 59 was a major breakthrough for him. It helped him to win the tournament, and it also helped him to earn a spot on the Ryder Cup team that year. Geiberger went on to play in four Ryder Cups, and he won three of his four matches.
Geiberger retired from professional golf in 1995. He is now a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.
2. Chip Beck
When Chip Beck attended the Las Vegas Invitational at the Sunrise Golf Club in 1991, he had no idea he would card a 59. Chip would become one of only 6 PGA Tour players scoring 59.
Here are the details of his round:
- He started the round on the back nine and made birdies on the 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, and 17th holes.
- He made a bogey on the 18th hole to finish the front nine at 8-under-par 30.
- He made birdies on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th holes to start the back nine.
- He made a bogey on the 7th hole to finish the round at 13-under-par 59.
Beck’s 59 was the second sub-60 round in PGA Tour history, following Al Geiberger’s 59 in the 1977 Danny Thomas Memphis Classic. Beck’s 59 was also the first sub-60 round in a major championship.
Beck finished the tournament tied for third place. He was one stroke behind the winner, Tom Kite.
Beck’s 59 is considered one of the greatest rounds of golf ever played.
3. David Duval
David Duval became the third golfer to shoot the lowest round of golf ever in PGA Tour history. He would shoot it at the 1999 CareerBuilder Challenge. Duval carded the 59 in the final round.
Here are the details of his round:
- He started the round with a bogey on the first hole but quickly recovered with birdies on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th holes.
- He made another birdie on the 7th hole to reach 4-under-par for the round.
- He then made an eagle on the 8th hole to reach 6-under-par for the round.
- He made birdies on the 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, and 15th holes to reach 13-under-par for the round.
- He made a bogey on the 16th hole, but he made birdies on the 17th and 18th holes to finish the round at 15-under-par 59.
Duval won the tournament by one stroke over Ernie Els. He was the first player to win a PGA Tour event by one stroke after shooting a 59.
4. Stuart Appleby
Stuart Appleby marks out the 5th player to ever achieve the 59, which he would card at the Greenbrier Classic in 2010. Appleby would win the Greenbrier Classic by one shot against Jeff Overton. He was the second player to win a PGA Tour event by one stroke after shooting a 59.
Here are the details of his round:
- He started the round with a birdie on the first hole, but he quickly made bogeys on the 2nd and 3rd holes to fall back to even-par for the round.
- He then made birdies on the 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, and 15th holes to reach 12-under-par for the round.
- He made a bogey on the 16th hole, but he made birdies on the 17th and 18th holes to finish the round at 15-under-par 59.
5. Paul Goydo
When Paul Goydo carded his 59, he did it at the John Deere Classic. This happened after 4 months of poor play that really turned around with his 59.
Here are the details of his round:
- He started the round with a birdie on the first hole, and he then made birdies on the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, and 14th holes to reach 11-under-par for the round.
- He made a bogey on the 15th hole, but he made birdies on the 16th and 17th holes to reach 13-under-par for the round.
- He made a birdie on the 18th hole to finish the round at 14-under-par 59.
Goydos finished the tournament tied for third place. He was three strokes behind the winner, Zach Johnson.
6. Jim Furyk
In 2013, three years before he would card his 58, Jim Furyk would card a 59. He would score this at the 2013 BMW Championship.
Here are the details of his round:
- He started the round on the back nine and made birdies on the 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, and 17th holes.
- He made a bogey on the 18th hole to finish the front nine at 8-under-par 30.
- He made birdies on the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th holes to start the back nine.
- He made a birdie on the 7th hole to finish the round at 12-under-par 59.
Furyk finished the tournament tied for second place. He was one stroke behind the winner, Rory McIlroy.
7. Dustin Johnson
Now that we’ve covered the best golf score ever in PGA history, we can’t cover any more of the 59s. Dustin Johnson is another one that had a low score on the PGA Tour, however. He scored the lowest 72-hole score in 2020 at the Masters when he posted a 268, beating Tiger Woods’s 270.
He won the tournament by five strokes over Cameron Smith and Sungjae Im.
Johnson started the tournament with a 65, which was the lowest opening-round score of the tournament. He followed that up with a 70 in the second round, which put him in a tie for the lead. Johnson then shot a 65 in the third round, which gave him a three-stroke lead heading into the final round.
In the final round, Johnson shot a 68 to finish at 268, which was the lowest 72-hole score in Masters history. Johnson’s victory was his second Masters title and his 24th PGA Tour victory.
Johnson’s 268 round was a dominant performance. He hit 17 of 18 greens in regulation and had only one bogey in the tournament. Johnson’s performance was a testament to his power and accuracy. He was able to hit the ball long and straight, which allowed him to attack the pins and make birdies.
Johnson’s victory was a major breakthrough for him. He had been one of the best golfers in the world for several years, but he had never been able to win a major championship. His victory at the Masters solidified his status as one of the best golfers in the world.
8. Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods was another golfer with the lowest golf score on 72 holes. He scored 270 in 1997 at the Masters Tournament, and no one could beat that score until 2020 when Dustin Johnson beat it.
Tiger shot 18-under-par to win by 12 strokes over David Duval and Ernie Els.
Woods started the tournament with a 66, which gave him a two-stroke lead after the first round. He followed that up with a 65 in the second round to extend his lead to five strokes.
Woods shot a 69 in the third round to maintain his five-stroke lead heading into the final round.
In the final round, Woods shot a 69 to finish at 270. He made a birdie on the 18th hole to secure his victory.
Woods’ win was his first Masters Tournament title and his second major championship overall. He was the youngest player to win the Masters then and set a new record for the lowest 72-hole score in Masters history.
Woods’ victory was a major breakthrough for him. He had been one of the best golfers in the world for several years, but he had never been able to win a major championship. His victory at the Masters solidified his status as one of the best golfers in the world.
Woods’ victory was also a major cultural moment. He was the first African-American to win the Masters, which was seen as a sign of progress in race relations in the United States.
Woods’ victory at the 1997 Masters is considered one of the greatest moments in golf history. It was a major breakthrough for Woods, and it helped to make him one of the most popular athletes in the world.
9. Cameron Smith
Cameron Smith was another PGA Tour golfer who would get the lowest score in golf on 72 holes. Smith would reach a record low of 34-under at the Tournament of Champions at Kapalua Plantation Course in Hawaii.
Smith won by one stroke over Jon Rahm and Matt Jones.
Smith started the tournament with a 65, which was the lowest opening-round score of the tournament. He followed that up with a 64 in the second round, which put him in a tie for the lead. Smith then shot a 64 in the third round, which gave him a three-stroke lead heading into the final round.
Smith shot a 65 in the final round to finish at 34-under par. He made a birdie on the 18th hole to secure his victory.
Smith’s victory was a dominant performance. He hit 17 of 18 greens in regulation and had only one bogey in the tournament. Smith’s performance was a testament to his power and accuracy. He was able to hit the ball long and straight, which allowed him to attack the pins and make birdies.
10. Matt Jones
Matt Jones had an impressive performance at the Tournament of Champions at Kapalua Plantation Course in Hawaii, where he scored the lowest 36-hole score at 32-under.
He shot 62, and 61 in the third and final round, a combined 23-under-par on the weekend.
Jones started the tournament with a 68, which put him in a tie for 11th place. He followed that up with a 65 in the second round, which moved him into a tie for fourth place.
Jones shot a 62 in the third round to take the lead by two strokes. He then shot a 61 in the final round to finish three strokes behind the winner, Cameron Smith.
Related article: What is an Average Golf Score?
FAQs
What is the Lowest Score in Golf History?
Rhein Gibson would score the lowest in golf history with a 55 at the River Oaks Golf Club. It happened in 2012, and this was the lowest score ever recorded in golf.
What is the Lowest Score on 18 Holes?
At the Astara Golf Championship, Rhein Gibson would make golf history when he made the lowest score ever on 18 holes, carding out at 55. This would break a Guinness World Record.
Has Anyone Ever Birdied All 18 Holes?
No one has ever birdied all 18 holes, which would mean that a golfer carded a 54. Instead, they see it as the score to get. A couple of golfers came close, but it has never been done before and some think it an impossible score to achieve.
Related article: What are the Most Playoff Holes in Golf History?
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, you learned something about the lowest golf score ever, and we took it in multiple directions for notable highlights so that you can learn about the lowest golf score ever on 18 holes.
The lowest PGA round ever, however, was done by Jim Furyk in 2016.
- Favorite club: Cobra Fly XL Set
- Favorite ball: Callaway Warbird Ball
- Favorite food at the turn: Nachos
