Expand / Collapse search
Watch TV
Menu

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2024 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.

Sports

Sucher's 60 gives him 2-shot lead in Boise

By Sports Network
Published | Updated

Boise, ID (SportsNetwork.com) - Zack Sucher fired the Web.com Tour's low round of the season with an 11-under 60 on Thursday and that gave him a 2-shot lead following the first round of the Albertsons Boise Open.

"That's probably the best round I've ever played," Sucher said. "This is the right way to start an event."

Sucher narrowly missed out on the third 59 in Web.com Tour history, both of which were shot last year. Sucher has yet to win on tour in his career, with his best finish of the season coming at the Chitimacha Louisiana Open, where he finished tied for fifth.

Hillcrest Country Club was yielding some other low scores on the first day, so Sucher's low score did not separate him from the rest of the pack.

This year's Cleveland Open champion Steven Alker also had an impressive day with a 9-under 62 and he is two shots back of the leader.

Nick Taylor is alone in third at 8-under, while Timothy O'Neal, Alex Aragon, Steve Wheatcroft, James Nitties, Casey Wittenberg, Chase Wright and Brian Prouty are all tied for fourth at 7-under 64.

Sucher began the day on the back nine and had things going early. After a par on his first hole at No. 10, Sucher drained back-to-back birdies at 11 and 12 before tripping to his only blemish of the day, a bogey at 13.

After a par at 14, Alker rattled off three birdies in four holes at 15, 17 and 18. Sucher also made a huge eagle at the par-5 16th hole. The impressive four- hole stretch put Sucher at 6-under as he made the turn to the front nine.

Sucher did not slow down as he poured in back-to-back birdies at one and two. He added three more birdies at four, seven and nine to end at 11-under. The lone bogey at No. 13 was the biggest thing that prevented Sucher from a historic 59.

"I think anytime you shoot a 29 on the front it crossed your mind a little bit," Sucher said about the possibility of shooting a 59. "I really started thinking that it was doable when I birdied No. 4. I thought I had a chance. I just needed three more. I had some chances on six and eight but missed them both."

Alker also had an impressive first nine. Teeing off on the back nine like Sucher, Alker started off with a birdie at No. 10 and a par at No. 11. He then rattled off four straight birdies from No. 12.

A bogey at 17 hurt Alker a bit, but he responded right away with a birdie at 18. Four more birdies on the back nine at two, three, five and nine had Alker just two shots back of the leader on a day where posting a low score was paramount.

NOTES: The last 59 shot on the Web.com Tour came at this event last year when Russell Knox posted the score in the second round. Knox finished tied for 12th in the event. Will Wilcox also shot a 59 at the 2013 Utah Championship ... Of the 156 players in the field, only 21 players finished over par in the first round.