Tag: Pacos Course

19-year-old Aldrich Potgieter shoots second sub-60 score in as many days on Korn Ferry Tour

Potgieter is the youngest player to shoot 59 in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event.

The kids are good.

A day after Cristobal Del Solar became the first golfer to shoot 57 in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event, a 19-year-old has also shot a sub-60 round on the same course.

Adrich Potgieter, who won the Korn Ferry Tour’s Bahamas Great Abaco Classic two weeks ago, has now shot the 10th sub-60 round in Korn Ferry Tour history with his 11-under 59 during the second round of the Astara Golf Championship at the Pacos Course at Country Club de Bogata in Colombia.

Potgieter is the youngest player to shoot 59 in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event.

“I had to play well, I knew I had to play well to be able to shoot this low,” Potgieter said. “It was just kind of the confidence to hit the ball, get it close, make putts. Not many mistakes, I think that was a big thing, trying to eliminate the mistakes and just try to keep the ball in play. There’s not much danger on the short course, so just try to shoot under the 60s, try to get as low as I can, but definitely looking at that.”

The Pacos Course is the shortest on the Korn Ferry Tour, playing at 6,254 yards, as well as being nearly 9,000 feet above sea level. However, narrow fairways and tricky greens always create challenges for players, and there had never been a sub-60 score until Thursday.

And now, for the second straight day, a player has recorded a sub-60 round.

Potgieter went out in 7-under 28, playing the back nine at the Pacos Course. Then on the front, he added five more birdies, including three in a row on his final three holes, to shoot 59.

Ten birdies, one eagle and even a bogey, but it was enough to record the 12th sub-60 score in Korn Ferry Tour history. It’s also the first time there has been two sub-60 scores at one PGA Tour-sanctioned event.

Potgieter sits at 16-under 125 after two rounds in Colombia, one shot in front of Del Solar, who followed up his record-setting performance with a 2-under 69 on the Lagos Course.

“I was kind of trying to get to that 57, so I was trying to push myself, but then kind of realized that we’re still in a golf tournament, we’re not playing a fun round out here,” Potgieter said, “so I was kind of trying to concentrate when I made those last three birdies, which helped a lot.”

This weekend, play shifts to the Lagos Course for both rounds, a par-71 layout that measures 7,237 yards.

Cristobal Del Solar makes history, shoots first 57 at any PGA Tour-sanctioned event

Cristobal Del Solar made history Thursday in Bogota, Colombia.

Cristobal Del Solar made history Thursday in Bogota, Colombia.

The 30-year-old, who went to college at Florida State, shot 13-under 57 during the opening round of the Astara Golf Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour at the Pacos Course at Country Club de Bogata. It’s the first time in the history of professional golf that someone has shot 57 on a par-70 layout, and it’s the ninth sub-60 round on the Korn Ferry Tour.

The score is the lowest ever in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event.

“Incredible, man,” Del Solar said. “Honestly, I was just playing. I didn’t even know what I was at. Actually, I asked my caddie on the 18th after hitting my 18th tee shot, we were just walking and I told him, I was like, hey, am I going to break 60, because I’ve never broken 60 before. He was like, you’re going to break a little bit more than 60. Yeah, I mean, I played really good golf. I drove the ball well, chipped it well, putted well. Yeah, I mean, I’m happy. It was a great round.”

Del Solar tied history with an 8-under 27 on the front nine, the lowest nine-hole score in Korn Ferry Tour history. He had six birdies and an eagle on the 330-yard par-4 ninth.

On the back nine, the Chilean added another eagle at the par-5 12th to move to 11 under after 12 holes. Birdies on Nos. 14 and 15 moved him to 13 under thru 15. Pars on the last three holes saw him sign for his record-setting 57.

Cristobal Del Solar of Chile holds his official scorecard which features his score 57 during the first round of the Astara Golf Championship presented by Mastercard at Country Club de Bogota on February 08, 2024 in Bogota, Colombia. (Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images)

The Pacos course is the shortest on the Korn Ferry Tour, playing at 6,254 yards, as well as being nearly 9,000 feet above sea level. However, narrow fairways and tricky greens always create challenges for players, and there had never been a sub-60 score until Thursday.

“It had to be a specific type of course to kind of do this stuff,” Del Solar said. “Obviously if it’s difficult, the score’s going to be higher. I haven’t even broken 60 practicing on my home course, and my home course is pretty difficult. I’m excited. I mean, maybe if I play from the women’s tee I’ll break 60 someday there. But I’m just happy, it was a great round.”

In 2019, David Carey shot 11-under 57 on the Alps Tour at the Cervino Open.

Del Solar has played three events on the Korn Ferry Tour this year. His lowest round before the 57 on Thursday was a 67.

Last week, Joaquin Niemann shot 11-under 59 in the opening round of LIV Golf Mayakoba en route to his victory. Last year, Bryson DeChambeau shot 58 at LIV Golf Greenbrier. The only 58 in PGA Tour history was Jim Furyk at the Travelers Championship in 2016.

Now, Del Solar has his own piece of history.