Every golfer knows the feeling of getting out to a hot start. But chances are you’ve never seen a start like this.
Playing in the Web.com tour’s BMW Charity Pro-Am, Michael Arnaud set the front nine ablaze Friday morning. Arnaud began the day with a pedestrian birdie at the challenging 463-yard opener. Then he eagled No. 2, a par 5. Birdies at 3 and 4 got him to five under for the round before he arrived at another par 5 and promptly made another eagle.
He wasn’t done: Arnaud birdied 6 and 7 to get to nine under through seven holes. Nine under. This is a scorecard you have to see to believe.
We’ll forgive you if you’re not familiar with Arnaud’s playing history. The 36-year-old from Beaumont, Tex., is playing in just his second Web.com event of the season (the other was a missed cut) and has made $130,358 on the tour in 49 career starts. He has played in just one PGA Tour event, the 2011 Valero Texas Open, where he missed the cut.
None of that mattered heading to the front nine on Friday at the Thornblade Club. Arnaud, who has conditional Web.com status, got his number called and was in for this week’s event, in which pros are paired with sponsors and celebrities. According to a Facebook post Arnaud made earlier in the week, actor and comedian Rob Riggle is in his group.
Michael Arnaud (@Michael_Arnaud) is doing some magical things @BMWCharityProAm @ThornbladeClub.
9 under today thru 7.
This is not a drill. pic.twitter.com/zlS4n1HQBC
— Web.com Tour (@WebDotComTour) May 18, 2018
The only thing that made Friday’s hot start even crazier? The face that Arnaud had a bonkers stretch on Thursday afternoon, too, making back-to-back eagles on Nos. 17 and 18 (his 8th and 9th of the day), meaning Arnaut made four eagles in an 18-hole stretch.
When Arnaud made a (dare we say letdown?) par on 8 before a bogey on 9 on Friday, it broke the streak, but still meant an eight-under 27 going out, which tied Web.com nine-hole scoring record.
Yes, the 59 watch is still very much on.
