Golf has definitely gone mad. Or at least it seems so. The 59 shots of Niemann in Mayakoba, 57 of Del Solar yesterday in Bogotá, 59 of Potgetier today on that same course and to top it off the 60 of Nick Taylor (-11) to open fire at the WM Phoenix Open. In the case of Del Solar and Potgetier, it can be argued that the course is short, the altitude, etcetera… But Taylor’s, like Niemann’s in Mexico, has been a real work of art. His golf display has been colossal. What’s happening? Is it the distance? Is it the error tolerance of the new material? Is it the better preparation of the players? Is it a bit of everything? There’s enough to start a good debate…
While you think about it and come to your own conclusions, it’s worth enjoying what Taylor has done at the TPC Scottsdale in Arizona. Yes, he has putted very well, that’s undeniable. Moreover, the data is irrefutable. It’s the best performance on these greens since 2006 (JJ Henry, third round). His strokes gained statistic with the putt has been a colossal 7.14. That is, just on the greens, at the tournament average, he has taken more than seven strokes. He has flown in this area.
However, beyond this figure, Taylor, a 35-year-old Canadian with three victories on the PGA Tour, has played galactic golf. Because no, gentlemen, no, the course is not easy, despite the rain that has fallen. It is true that the greens are not as hard as this course usually is, but you have to play very well. The best example is that he takes no less than five strokes from the second-placed: Maverick McNealy, Andrew Novak, Doug Ghim and Sahith Theegala. All of them with six under par.
Taylor, whose nickname on social media is accompanied by the number 59, has made eleven birdies, six of them from less than three and a half meters. He has put in another birdie putt of 10 meters on the 12th, shortly after starting his round which started on the 10th, a couple of them from six meters and a key one from nine for par on the 7th, the penultimate hole of his round. Key, of course, to reach that 60. In addition, he finished with two more birdies on the 8th and 9th, with two shots to four and a half meters and two meters from the hole. It was a display. He has hit 13 of the 14 fairways and has taken 16 of 18 greens. The round dreamed of by any golfer.
(Of course, as the blessed Murphy’s Law dictates, on his first hole of the second round, which he started as soon as he finished the first due to the suspensions accumulated between yesterday and today, he missed the tee shot and had to drop with a penalty in the desert… bogey).
Be that as it may, Taylor’s first round has made a place in the history of the tournament. It is the fourth 60 card that is handed out at the Phoenix Open and his five strokes after the first round is the biggest difference in the history of this championship and also the biggest in any PGA Tour event since 1993. Without a doubt, it is one of those times when you can shout from the rooftops that Taylor has played something else.
As for the top 10, after the first 18 holes are Daniel Berger (-5), Ryan Fox (-5), Cameron Young (-4), Sami Valimaki (-4) and Shane Lowry (-4). The world’s Number One, Scottie Scheffler (-3), has managed to straighten his round and get up with two birdies in the last two holes. With two good putts, of course, as was to be expected. Also with three under par are Jordan Spieth or Si Woo Kim.
