“Mr. 59” Al Geiberger is not surprised that the club he founded is growing

When Al Geiberger shot his famous 59 in 1977, the first sub-60 round in PGA Tour history, he was sure that more 59s would follow.

“Then I remember when it went on for 14 years, I thought, you know, maybe nobody can do it,” Geiberger said. “I thought if I can do it, somebody else can. And then year after year for 14 years, nobody could do it. And then (Chip Beck) does it on a small, easy course in Las Vegas (in 1991). And they had predicted it. It was an alternate course (at the tournament that year). And then they waited eight years for (David) Duval here at PGA West.”

For Geiberger, now 86, who has lived in the desert for a long time, two rounds of 59 on the PGA Tour within 14 days are no big surprise. Cameron Young shot a 59 (11 under par) in the third round of the Traveler’s Championship on June 22. On Thursday, Hayden Springer shot a 59 (12 under par) in the opening round of the John Deere Classic. The two most recent rounds under 60 were played on courses where a 59 had previously been shot.

“Every week I go to Hawaii, (The American Express), Travelers and a few others that I keep an eye on. John Deere is one of them,” Geiberger said.

For years, Geiberger’s 59 was considered the gold standard for a round on the PGA Tour, eclipsing his victory at the 1966 PGA Championship and earning him the nickname “Mr. 59.” Now, Geiberger’s round is one of 14 sub-60 rounds on the tour, 13 59s and Jim Furyk’s 58 at the 2016 Travelers event. Geiberger, who won 11 times on the regular tour and 10 times on the PGA Tour Champions, said there are reasons why more sub-60 rounds are being shot these days, including eight in the last nine years.

“It’s the combination of equipment, ball, maintenance, the golf course maintenance. And I guess it all comes down to putting, and the mowers are so good now,” Geiberger said. “And the guys know they can do it.”

That wasn’t necessarily true when Geiberger shot 59 in the third round of the 1977 Danny Thomas Tournament at Colonial, which was then considered one of the toughest courses on Tour and still has a difficult layout. Geiberger points to several other changes in the game, including the current trend in professional golf toward driveable par-4 holes, as a reason why low scores, including sub-60 rounds, are more common today.

More: Golfers who have passed 60 in the history of professional golf

Al Geiberger, 76, is a founding member of Golf Club 59, the original “Mr. 59” who made history on June 10, 1977 in the second round of the Danny Thomas Memphis Classic at Colonial Country Club.

“Now when they hit a shot, it’s OK, let’s start comparing,” Geriberger said. “Let’s compare par, let’s compare courses, conditions. That gives them something to talk about. When I did it, there was nothing to compare it to.”

Geiberger never fails to mention that some of the more recent 59s were shot on par-70 or par-71 courses – Furyk’s 58 was 12 under par on the par-70 TPC River Highlands in Connecticut – Geiberger’s 59 was 13 under par on a difficult Colonial course.

“Duval’s was 13 under par too,” he said. “I kind of lose track of the others. It’s funny, nobody talks much about that 58. It’s like 59 is the magic number. Because it probably beats 60.”

Geiberger says a series of physical problems, including a bad knee, kept him out of golf for nearly 18 months, although he has hit a few balls from time to time. But he continues to keep an eye on the Tour and weeks like the John Deere Classic, where 59s seem to be cropping up.

“They seem to come in waves and at certain prices,” Geiberger said. “Who knows? The week isn’t over yet.”

The story originally appeared on GolfWeek