Dartmouth’s Tyler Brand has a story he’s going to be able to tell forever.
Playing at the Princeton Invitational at Springdale Golf Club in New Jersey, he shot 13-over 84 in the opening round on Saturday morning. However, it was the first of 36 holes that day, so there was a quick turnaround before the afternoon 18.
And how different that afternoon was — 23 shots different.
Brand shot 10-under 61 in the afternoon, an incredible improvement in a single day. A 3-over total after 36 holes was not too shabby after his start. With eight birdies and an eagle, Brand set a course record.
But that wasn’t the end of Brand’s story. He ended up withdrawing from the tournament after being injured Sunday in the final round. He suffered a concussion after walking into a tree branch with his head down and was unable to finish.
Again. What a story.
And Brand wasn’t the only golfer to shoot 61 this week. On Monday, Michigan’s Monet Chun shot 10-under 61 during the second round of the Chattanooga Classic at Council Fire Golf Club in Tennessee. And similar to Brand, Chun had a 13-shot improvement in the second round compared to her opening 3-over 74.
Chun had 11 birdies and a bogey in her 61, which is tied for the second-lowest round by a female golfer in NCAA history. It trails only North Carolina State’s Lauren Olivares Leon, who shot 60 in the fall at the Cougar Classic.