England’s David Skinns fired a course-record 12-under-par 60 on Thursday to grab the lead at the PGA Tour’s Sanderson Farms Championship.
The 42-year-old Briton, ranked 149th in the world, missed a nine-foot par putt on his final hole, the par-four 9th at Mississippi’s Country Club of Jackson, to miss out on a 59.
“It’s hard not to be a little bit disappointed because how many nine-footers are you going to get to shoot 59?” Skinns said. “I’m sure I’m not going to get many.
“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.”
Skinns, seeking his first PGA Tour victory, opened at 10 with back-to-back birdies, added birdies at 14-17 and the 2nd through 5th holes then added birdies at 7 and 8.
“It was just one of those dream days where I was never really in a bad spot,” Skinns said. “Those are the ones that you turn around and you’re seven-under, you’re like, wow, I didn’t feel like I did too much. Great to see a couple go in that maybe some days don’t.”
Skinns settled for a career-low round and took his missed chance for 59 in stride.
“Just broke way more than I thought,” Skinns said. “But there were a lot out there I got right, so I’m going to focus on the ones I got right.”
South Africa’s Garrick Higgo began with a round of two-over 74 to share 119th position.
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