Cristobal Del Solar signed for one of the lowest scores in the history of professional golf after carding a barely believable 57 at the Astara Championship.
The Chilean made two eagles and nine birdies in the event on the Korn Ferry Tour to sign for a 13 under par 57, which is the lowest round in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event and matches the record on tours that are part of the Official World Golf ranking.
The 30-year-old shot his 57 on the Pacos course, the shortest on the tour and around 8,500ft above sea level.
To put the shortness of the course into perspective, it is nearly 1500 yards shorter than the Earth course at Jumeirah Golf Estates when the leading players on the DP World Tour compete for the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
“It was a very short course, I mean really short,” Del Solar said after his round.
“A lot of holes were drivable; I wouldn’t say drivable, but within 20 yards of the green. I wouldn’t necessarily get on the green, but I was around it. The course was definitely set up to shoot a low score.
“Now, when you go onto a course like this, you don’t think, ‘I’m going to shoot 57.’ You just go out there and do your best and hope it’s a really low score. You’ve still got to do it, obviously.”
Comment
Carding a 59 in professional golf is considered to be one of the game’s ultimate achievements, but shooting 57 is basically unheard of. It is worth bearing in mind that Del Solar’s record-breaking round was aided by being permitted to lift, clean and place golf balls under the preferred lie rule due to the significant rainfall in the days leading up to the event and the fact the course is so high above sea level, allowing the ball to fly further. But that’s not to take anything anyway from a player who is ranked 259th in the world – it’s some feat and will certainly take some beating.
