Tommy Gainey could not 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 trailed by seven shots entering the final round and his comeback matched the second-biggest for a victory on the tour this season.
Gainey’s round included seven successive threes from the 11th — four of them birdies and one of them his eagle.
He had to wait more than two hours to see if his lead would stand up.
When it was all over, Gainey was a little emotional.
“It’s been a hard year for me and finally, we got it right,” said the 37-year-old, known for his unconventional swing and “Two Gloves” nickname for his habit of wearing gloves on both hands.
Toms and Jim Furyk both made late runs, Toms finishing with a 63 for 265.
Furyk, still trying to erase the taste of the US’ Ryder Cup defeat to a storming European team 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.
Furyk made just two bogeys all week, but he still could not clinch his first win of the season.
Toms also needed a birdie at 18 to match Gainey, but drove into a bunker.
Davis Love, who captained the losing US Ryder Cup team drove into the water on 16 en route to a double-bogey.
His one-over-71 left him tied for fourth on 268 with Zimbabwe’s Brendon de Jonge (65) and DJ Trahan (69).
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