MILWAUKEE -- Corey Pavin set the PGA Tour's scoring record
for nine holes Thursday, shooting a 26 on the front nine in the
U.S. Bank Championship.
"It seemed like it was a misprint up there maybe," Pavin said.
"It was just one of those nine holes, once in a lifetime for me so
far, anyway."
Pavin, who was 8 under at the turn and finished his bogey-free
round at 9 under, broke the mark of 27 set by Mike Souchak in the
1955 Texas Open and matched by Andy North (1975 B.C. Open), Billy
Mayfair (2001 Buick Open) and Roberts Gamez (2004 Bob Hope Chrysler
Classic). North and Gamez are both playing in the tournament this
week at the par-70 Brown Deer Park Golf Course.
The 46-year-old Pavin birdied the first six holes -- starting off
with a 39-foot putt -- then needed two putts at the par-3 seventh
after pushing his ball past the hole.
He rebounded with birdies on Nos. 8 and 9, first by hitting a
firm putt that dropped in the center of the cup from 15 feet, and
then watching his putt on the ninth slow to a near stop before
falling in from 9 feet.
"Obviously the front nine was an exceptional nine holes of
golf," Pavin said. "I knew 59 was possible when I made the turn.
I just tried to play the best I could and came up a little bit
short."
The PGA Tour scoring record is 59, set by Al Geiberger in 1977
and tied by Chip Beck (1991) and David Duval (1999).
Pavin, the 1995 U.S. Open winner, hit just two of six fairways
in regulation, but needed only 10 putts to get through the first
nine holes. For the round, he hit three of 13 fairways and needed
25 putts.
"I really didn't even feel all that great on the range warming
up," Pavin said. "Golf's like that, things happen and you never
know when they're going to happen."
Pavin, who has 14 PGA Tour victories in his career, does not
have a top-10 finish in 2006 and has made the cut in only half of
the 16 tournaments he's played this season. One of his wins was at
the Greater Milwaukee Open at the Tuckaway Country Club in 1986,
when he won on the fourth hole of a playoff over Dave Barr.