Jake Knapp was firing on all cylinders during the opening round of the Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches.
Jake Knapp signed for the 15th sub-60 round in PGA Tour history on Thursday, shooting a 59 at PGA National and setting the course record in the process.
It’s also the first sub-60 score on the PGA Tour shot within the state of Florida, according to golf statistician Justin Ray.
Knapp birdied his first five holes, which included a chip-in birdie on the par-4 2nd. You had a feeling that Knapp would produce something special at the Cognizant Classic on Thursday — he had everything going his way.
The former UCLA Bruin then made pars on the 6th, 7th, and 8th holes, but turned on the jets again as he made the turn. Birdies followed on the 9th, 10th, and 11th. He then had another stretch of three consecutive birdie makes on the 13th, 14th, and 15th holes, the last of which came via a 31-foot make. That was the only putt Knapp made outside of 12 feet, proving how well he played from tee-to-green. Knapp found 12-of-14 fairways, leads the field in strokes gained off the tee, and ranks second in strokes gained approaching the green.
He also had an eagle look on the par-5 18th, which, had it fallen, would have given him a 58, thus matching the lowest score in PGA Tour history. But his eagle try missed on the low side. Knapp tapped in for birdie, therefore giving him a splendid 59. Given that PGA National is a par-71, Knapp sits atop the leaderboard at 12-under par and holds a four-shot lead as of this writing.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.
