England’s David Skinns made a personal and course record to lead the Sanderson Farms Championship with a 12-under 60 on Thursday.
Skinns ran off six birdies on the back nine and six more on the front nine but missed the last birdie putt from inside nine feet on his final hole.
The 42-year-old was a birdie away from becoming the third PGA Tour player to shoot 59 in 2024 and finished with a three-shot lead over Michael Thorbjornsen at the Country Club of Jackson.
“How many 9-footers are you going to get to shoot 59?” Skinns said.
“I’m sure I’m not going to get many. Tough not to be a little bit disappointed, but I really want to just look back on how in control mentally I felt, how I kept attacking.
“Wasn’t really thinking about the future at all, which is kind of the thing I’m going to take away from today.”
Skinns also holed birdie putts of 55 feet and 25 feet during the round, and five other birdies outside 10 feet.
“Great to see a couple go in that maybe some days don’t,” Skinns said.
“Just kind of catapulted, and I was able to keep the momentum going, which is what I was most pleased about. I never really thought about the score too much, just where I was going to hit the next shot.”
Mackenzie Hughes and Patton Kizzire, who won the first FedEx Cup Fall event at the Procore Championship, were in the group at 67.
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Hughes claimed the Sanderson Farms Championship title two years ago when he didn’t make the cut for the Presidents Cup team.
However, this year he is playing a week after he made his Presidents Cup debut.
“Monday was basically sober up; Tuesday recovery and rest, travel here; Wednesday was just a light day with the pro-am and a bit of practice,” Hughes said.
“Felt like Wednesday evening I had caught my breath and was ready to come out here today. Obviously it’s a big high to come off from last week, but my job is still here and I was ready to go.”
Watch day two of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship live on Friday from midday on Sky Sports Golf and day two from the Sanderson Farms Championship from 9pm. Stream the DP World Tour, PGA Tour and more with NOW.
