After opening his round at the Cognisant Classic in The Palm Beaches with 5 consecutive birdies, Jake Knapp felt he was about to do something extraordinary.
Ultimately, he became a member of one of the most exclusive golf players.
Knapp, currently ranked 99th in the world of golf, shot a bogey-free 59 in the first round at PGA National Resort on Thursday, joining the PGA TOUR’s sub-60 club. In a PGA TOUR tournament, it was the 15th time a player has broken 60.
“It was just one of those days when everything seemed to be falling into place.” Knapp said.
Jim Furyk set the TOUR scoring record of 58 in the final round of the 2016 Travellers Championship, and Knapp ended one stroke short of it. Knapp became the 14th player to shoot a round under 60, which has been done 15 times, with Furyk being the only one to do it twice.
At the 18th par-5 hole, Knapp made a putt for eagle that would have tied Furyk’s record of 58 ; the PGA TOUR measured it at 18 feet, 8 inches. He tapped in for 59 since the eagle putt lacked pace.
Indeed, when a great birdie putt at the 15th put him at 11 under for the day, he was considering a score of 58.
I basically told my caddie, as I took the 16-tee. “Let’s play 2 under in the last 3”. Let’s carry out our assigned tasks.
If a 59 can ever truly be settled for, he had to accept it.
“I believed my performance was good. Then someone scored 59 shots.” said Daniel Berger, who played a provisional after his tee ball was lost in a tree and achieved a bogey-free round of 8-under 63, which was highlighted by a par on the par-5 10th.
The previous Cognisant Classic scoring record of 61, set by Brian Harman in 2012 and matched by Matt Jones in 2021, was also shattered by Knapp’s 12-birdie round on the par-71 course. In the tournament’s history, there have been three rounds of 62: Tiger Woods in the 2012 final round, en route to a tie for second place; Brandon Hagy in the 2021 second round; and eventual winner Chris Kirk in the 2023 second round.
PGA National was essentially defenceless in the morning round, and there was hardly any wind, which is unusual for South Florida. On the 7th hole, Billy Horschel, a former collegiate Florida Gator, came the closest to trouble when he used a club to poke at an alligator that was basking in the sun close to the green, causing it to flee to its aquatic home.
In Round 1, score was unaffected by wildlife either. Berger, Russell Henley, and Sami Valimaki all had 63s, Rickie Fowler had 64s in the first round, Jordan Spieth, who was making a strong recovery from wrist surgery, shot 65, and Horschel, Zach Johnson, and Camilo Villegas had 66s.
No one, however, had it easier than Knapp, who in his first seven starts of 2025 finished no higher than a tie for 17th. He then made golf history in Round 1 at PGA National, a course that players have claimed has been less harsh in recent years. To honour a day of superb ball-striking, he only had to make 98 feet of putts.
No one, however, had it easier than Knapp, who in his first 7 starts of 2025 finished no higher than a tie for 17th. He then made golf history in Round 1 at PGA National, a course that players have claimed has been less harsh in recent years. To honour a day of superb ball-striking, he only had to make 98 feet of putts.
“You must still make shots. Putts must be made. Yes, it’s difficult to do 59 anywhere. If you decide to play from 6,500 yards, I don’t care. Putts are still required. To have those opportunities, you still need to hit it near enough. We’ve seen some poor scores here, but when the circumstances are good, players go after it. However, it’s clear that nobody has ever shot 59 out here.” Fowler said.
Knapp and LPGA standout Patty Tavatanakit won the Grant Thornton Invitational, and Knapp has one PGA TOUR victory, which came at the VidantaWorld Mexico Open last year. He has only participated in the Cognisant Classic once, and he did well, finishing at 13 under after shooting 3 rounds of 68 or higher and tying for 4th place the previous year.
He’s even better so far this year.
It is necessary to give him credit. Nobody ever guessed that he could shoot a 12-under-par 59 at PGA National.
After the round, Horschel and Knapp ran into each other. Horschel congratulated Knapp and said he would have bet “a lot of money” that no one would ever shot 59 at PGA National.
“After seeing what you shot, I feel like I shot four over.” Horschel informed Knapp as he turned to leave.
Knapp made 5 consecutive birdies to start Thursday, with a 60-foot chip-in at the par-4 second hole serving as the highlight of the run. The 3 consecutive birdies on holes 9 through 11 were followed by 3 more on holes 13 through 15 ; the final one was a huge breaking putt from 31 feet that went across the green and fell dead centre into the cup.
Knapp’s caddy, Mike Stephens, stated that they were not hesitant to discuss the opportunities that awaited them on the last 3 holes.
“He enjoys talking, but I believe that your playing opponents may be trying to keep you at bay or something. In order to pass the time, we would sort of review the last several (holes). simply to maintain the status quo.” Stephens said.
Not exactly, actually. A day with a score of 59 isn’t your average day.
“Regardless of my score , 89 or 59 , I will return to play my best game tomorrow.” Knapp said.
