College golf needs a sub-60 round soon

BYU's Daniel Summerhays during the 2007 NCAA Championship.

Podcast episode

PGA Tour

Miceli: Sub-60 scores are great; expect more

Alex Miceli tries to make sense of all the sub-60 scores this year, including Stuart Appleby’s 59 at the Greenbrier Classic.

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Three players flirted with 59 during the 2006-07 college golf season. Each came up short and finished with 60.

Entering the 2008 season, I was certain a sub-60 round was in the near future. Matthew Carvell of Southeastern Louisiana almost made my prediction come true to start the season, but once again finished at 60.

We have seen a ton of red numbers this summer and rounds in the 50s. Incoming Alabama freshman Bobby Wyatt recorded a 57 to win the Alabama State Junior Championship and Trevor Murphy fired a 56 in a Nationwide Tour pro-am. On the biggest stage - the PGA Tour Paul Goydos posted a 59 at the John Deere Classic and Stuart Appleby closed with a 59 to win the Greenbrier Classic last weekend.

With the college season just a little over a month away, we have to believe that a sub-60 round is going to be posted in a collegiate tournament this year. If it’s not going to happen naturally, then I propose to the coaches, tournament directors or whomever it may be, to make sure we see a record round in the college game.

You all know how to do it: easy hole locations, reachable par 5s, low rough and a course setup that is a little shorter on the total yardage.

Why do I propose this to be designed and not just let it happen on its own? Because college golf needs this to happen. College golf needs a boost to the masses and a little more awareness, even if it is self-induced on how good these players are.

Wyatt appeared on ESPN after his amazing round. Goydos and Appleby made national headlines. Even Murphy got a lot of play for a 56, despite playing on a course less than 6,000 yards.

This summer alone I have seen the college fishing championships, college wood-chopping championship, college sailing championship and college rugby championship on television. Maybe a few scores in the 50s will get the attention of some who do not follow the game as closely as everyone reading this blog.

Photo by Golfweek Staff

Zach Bixler at the 2006 NCAA Championship.

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College players to shoot 60:

Southeastern’s Louisiana’s Matthew Carvell (2008 Aldila Scenic City Invitational)
Washington’s Zach Bixler (2007 Alister Mackenzie Invitational)
Duke’s Michael Schachner (2007 NCAA Championship)
BYU’s Daniel Summerhays (2006 Ping/Golfweek Preview)
Washington’s Brock Mackenzie (2003 Oregon Duck Invitational)
Georgia Tech’s Bryce Molder (2000 Palmetto Dunes Invitational)
Arizona State’s Paul Casey (1999 Pac-10 Championship)