Tommy Gainey couldn’t quite reach golf’s magic number of 59 — but a sparkling 60 was good enough to give him a first US PGA Tour victory at the McGladrey Classic on Sunday.
Gainey nabbed eight birdies and holed out from a greenside bunker for eagle on the par-five 15th en route to a 10-under 60 that gave him a 16-under total of 264 and a one-shot victory over David Toms.
A birdie at the last would have made Gainey the sixth player in PGA Tour history to record a 59. He hit his approach inside 20 feet but his birdie attempt came up short.
Nevertheless Gainey, recognizable for his unconventional swing, trailed by seven shots entering the final round and his comeback matched the second-biggest for a victory on the tour this season.
“I get bashed all the time about my swing,” Gainey acknowledged, but added: “The only thing that matters is right before impact on the downswing.”
Toms and Jim Furyk both made late runs, Toms finishing with a 63 for 265.
Furyk, still trying to erase the taste of America’s Ryder Cup defeat to a storming European team at Medinah last month, birdied the 15th and made a great par save at 17.
He could have forced a playoff with a birdie at the last but instead hit his approach right and ended up with a three-putt bogey for a 69 that left him third on 266.
Gainey's sparkling 60 wins McGladrey Classic
