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Playing golf with Al Geiberger before the first round of the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic in January, it was hard to believe that nearly 30 years had passed since he shot the first 59 in PGA Tour history. The longtime Southern California resident doesn’t plan to commemorate the occasion this month with anything special, but it’s a good bet he’ll be playing golf at his new favorite course. Geiberger, 69, has been the professional emeritus since March 2006 at Stone Eagle Golf Club in Palm Desert. His days are spent like most of us would dream of — playing golf, interacting with members, giving some lessons. “Amateurs always will be the core of the game, and being at Stone Eagle allows me to spend some great time with them,” Geiberger said. “The game has given a lot to me, and I’ve always felt it was important to give back. This role gives me a great chance to do that.” It also gives him a chance to respond to the many questions he gets about June 10, 1977 — the day he shot a 59 during the second round of the Danny Thomas Memphis Classic at Colonial Country Club. The conditions were less than ideal. The golf course measured 7,249 yards, long by 1977 standards. It was the heat and humidity, however, that were the real obstacles. The temperature hovered around 100 degrees, and players were simply trying to get to the clubhouse without fainting. “If I had to pick a golf course where you could not shoot 59, it’s the golf course he shot it on,” said Ken Venturi, a former CBS broadcaster and neighbor of Geiberger’s in the Coachella Valley. Geiberger began the day on the back nine and had two birdies in his first five holes before reeling off five birdies and an eagle to stand at 10 under through 12 holes. Two pars followed by two birdies set up his dramatic finishing hole in which he calmly sank a 10-foot birdie putt for his 59. He went on to win the tournament, although his other three rounds were in the 70s, and he finished at 15 under. The score of 59 has been matched twice on the PGA Tour since that time — Chip Beck at the 1991 Las Vegas Invitational and David Duval at the 1999 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. Geiberger ended his career with 11 PGA Tour victories, including the 1966 PGA Championship, and 10 victories on the Champions Tour — but he will always be remembered as “Mr. 59.” SG John Reger has been covering professional golf since 1995. He can be reached at cascribe@aol.com. |
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