Stephan Jaeger played his way into the record books Thursday at the Ellie Mae Classic, shooting the first round of 58 on any major USA golf tour.
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“I’m really happy with the way I played, especially on the back nine”, Jaeger said. He was thinking about breaking 60.
Congrats, Stephan…it usually takes the headquarters 12 holes to get to 58…
Several rounds of 59 have been recorded on the PGA Tour also but the only other player to record a round of 58 on a recognised tour was when Ryo Ishikawa put together a final round of 58 at the Japan Tour’s Crowns event in Nagoya in 2010.
Jaeger came to the United States as a foreign exchange student in 2006.
The three-time Southern Conference player of the year played both nines in a six-under-par 29. He birdied Nos. 11, 13-17 on his opening nine, and Nos. Pars on the seventh and eighth still had him set to shoot a 59 when he stepped to the tee on the par-5 ninth hole.
Gibson, 30, holds the world record for best 18-hole round after he shot a staggering 15-under 55 at River Oaks Golf Club in Edmond, Oklahoma, in 2012. In 88 degree heat with the wind at 8-15 miles per hour, Jaeger was more than 11 strokes below the field average of 69.258.
While Jaeger’s score was one of the best recorded in any professional event, it could have been even better after he three-putted the par-five third for par.
The TPC Stonebrae course in Hayward, California is your location and the UTC grad born in Munich was ranked 102nd on the Web.com Tour this season with his efforts so far.
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“I’d much rather be in the top 25 at the end of the year, with or without the 58”, Jaeger said. The victor Sunday will get $108,000.
