Bryson DeChambeau missed a six-foot birdie putt that would have secured a 59 for the 13th sub-60 round in PGA Tour history.
DeChambeau had to settle for a 12-under 60 that gave him sole possession of the lead when play was suspended due to darkness at the BMW Championship.
“I misread the putt, but it was an awesome opportunity,” DeChambeau said. “I had a couple of shots, a couple of opportunities on 17 and 18, and it didn’t happen. But still really proud of the way I handled myself. It’s great to feel pressure again, which is awesome.”
It would have marked the first 59 on tour since Scottie Scheffler at The Northern Trust in 2020 and the third 59 in FedEx Cup play-offs history.
DeChambeau made eagle at the fourth and 16th holes at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills and added eight birdies without a bogey.
The round put DeChambeau at 16-under through two rounds. He held a one-shot advantage over Patrick Cantlay (63 on Friday) and Spain’s Jon Rahm, who was seven-under for his round through 15 holes, when play was suspended.
DeChambeau, 27, is the world’s No. 6 and won his first major at the 2020 US Open. His second shot at No. 16 was among the highlights of his round. After finding the rough off the tee, he had 252 yards to the pin. His shot rolled to the back of the green, caught a downslope and trickled to within three feet for his eagle, putting him in position for a 59.
Needing just one birdie for a 59 — or two birdies for the second 58 in tour history — he instead settled for par on each of the final two holes.
The 16th wasn’t the only place DeChambeau rescued himself out of the rough. He hit only half of all fairways in regulation but still landed 16 of 18 greens in regulation.
“A lot of putts went in. A lot of things went right,” he said. “We got a lot of great numbers out of the rough today, and I played my butt off and never thought too much about anything until the last few holes.”
