Springer fires 59 at John Deere Classic

Hayden Springer drained a 12-foot birdie on No. 18 to shoot a 59 in the opening round of the John Deere Classic. He held a two-shot lead following Thursday's action.

The American became the second PGA TOUR golfer to card a sub-60 round in less than two weeks after Cameron Young did so at the Travelers Championship on June 22.

After a sizzling 8-under 27 on the front nine, Springer cooled off and sat at 9-under with two holes to play. However, he holed out for eagle from 55 yards on No. 17 to give himself a chance on the final hole.

The 27-year-old carded the 14th sub-60 round in PGA TOUR history. Jim Furyk holds the record for the lowest round ever on TOUR with a 58 at the Travelers in 2016. Bryson DeChambeau fired LIV's first and only 58 at Greenbrier last August.

Springer earned his TOUR card at Q-School in December. He missed the cut in seven of the 13 previous tournaments he played this year, but he finished tied for 10th at the Rocket Mortgage Classic last week.

He leads the John Deere Classic at 12-under par. Sami Valimaki is two strokes back in second place, while Eric Cole is three off the lead in third.