A lot of players went low in the opening round of the 2024 Sanderson Farms Championship, but veteran David Skinns took it to a whole other level, firing a 60 to open up a three-shot lead after 18 holes.
Making the feat more impressive is the fact that the Country Club of Jackson is playing to a par-72 this week, so Skinns had to go 12 under on Thursday to sign for his 6-0. But despite his epic performance, which featured 12 birdies and six pars, the 42-year-old English pro was left feeling ‘disappointed.’
That’s because his sparkling 60 was oh-so-close to being a historic 13-under 59, which would have been only the fifth such round in PGA Tour history. (Fourteen players have broken 60, most of them on par-70 or par-71 layouts.)
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When Skinns stepped on the par-4 9th tee on Thursday afternoon, his final hole of the day, he was coming off back-to-back birdies and needed one more at the last to hit the magic sub-60 number.
He piped his drive down the middle of the 9th fairway, then hit a beautiful approach that left him with a nine-foot putt to make history. Unfortunately for Skinns, his putt slid by, and he settled for a 59, hence the disappointment.
Skinns explained his mixed feelings to reporters after the round was complete Thursday evening.
“It’s hard not to be a little bit disappointed because how many nine-footers are you going to get to shoot 59? I’m sure I’m not going to get many,” Skinns lamented. “Tough not to be a little bit disappointed, but I really want to just look back on how kind of in control mentally I felt, how I kept attacking. Wasn’t really thinking about the future at all, which is kind of the thing I’m going to take away from today.”
He then went into more detail on his read and what he’d change if he could get a re-do.
“I had it about probably a ball outside the cup. If I could do it again I’d have it a cup outside. But yeah, just broke way more than I thought. I thought it was more downgrain than across the grain. That’s kind of this golf course. Sometimes the grain is a little different to what you think,” Skinns explained. “Just so happened that that was for a 59. But there were a lot out there that I got right, so I’m going to focus on the ones that I got right.”
And he got a whole lot right in the first round. He split his 12 birdies evenly across both nines, draining six a side with the help of several long putts. But no putt was longer than his 54-footer for birdie at the 7th hole, his third-to-last of the day, which gave him an opening to try for 59.
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He also admitted that “anybody in the world” would take his round of 60.
“It was just one of those great days. I had a few go in that weren’t expected. One from off the green on 15 and then a couple — the one on 7, the par-3, was unexpected. I just happened to hit a great putt and read it perfectly,” Skinns reflected. “It was just one of those dream days where I was never really in a bad spot. Even if I missed a fairway, I was in an okay spot, and then [on the] par-5s wedged it well, and yeah, took advantage when I could.”
And while he’d love to get another crack at his final putt for 59, he was still more than pleased with his performance on Thursday, and that he was able to keep his hopes for a 59 alive until they very end, even as the pressure rose toward the end of the round.
“Yeah, I’d want it back now, but like you said, it felt fairly in control, and I was pleased with the way I played those last few holes. Back of the mind it’s easy to start thinking about it, but pleased with the way I didn’t get ahead of myself, and pleased with the way I stayed aggressive.”
Skinns sets off for the second round of the Sanderson Farms on Friday at 2:18 p.m. ET. With his shot at 59 behind him, he now will train his focus on capturing his first-career PGA Tour victory.
