A Rookie's Date With History

👋 {{readername | Hey, golf fans}},

While you were fantasizing about finally breaking 80, one rookie did one better and shot 59 in a tournament. Meanwhile, Cameron Young jumped up 60+ spots to lead the bunch at the Rocket Classic, and the PGA Tour has announced the first four events as part of the Championship Series. We bring you this edition with more such news you might have missed in the noise, including celebrating the birthday of “the forgotten man of golf.”

But can you guess who he is before you scroll down? Challenge yourself.

Let’s get swinging…

Sweet 59: Rookie Chris Francoeur (-17/1st) carded the first 59 on the Korn Ferry Tour this season and the third one in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event in just eight days. At one point during the ongoing Utah Championship, he was so jittery he could barely feel his hands. But watch the tricky putt he made on the 18th; you can sense the relief. Congratulations.

Fast climb: Cameron Young (-10/T1) leapfrogged 68 spots to take the co-lead with Patrick Cantlay (-10/T1) and Patrick Fishburn (-10/T1). And, just for good measure, he conjured this magical bunker shot to flex a little. Things didn’t go according to plan for everybody, though: Brad Dalke (+16/MC) and Wyndham Clark (+5/MC) missed the cut, while Matti Schmidt (+3/MC) has more or less kissed his playoff hopes goodbye.

Becoming reality: The PGA Tour has announced four of the events so far on the Championship Series, including The Sentry (guess where it will be played), the Travelers Championship, and the Sompo Championship (a new event). The last one is a familiar name—find out here.

The Daily Nine is live, and 83% of our readers couldn’t break par.

Everyone gets the same layout, but changing wind, tricky sand, and quirky breaks make each hole a real test (good luck with the fifth). After putting, you'll get a trivia question. Answer it correctly to earn a mulligan for later in the round. See if you can break par, compare your scorecard with a friend, and come back tomorrow for a brand-new challenge.

For the ages: On Friday, Sara Kouskova (+4/T55) bettered her Thursday round (77) by eight shots for a 69 to make the cut on the number. Watch the birdie putt that sealed the deal and listen to the deafening roar from the crowd.

Best shot(s): Who did it best? Nelly Korda (-1/T14) fought back on Friday to move up the leaderboard. Look at this monster putt she holed en route to a 3-under 68. Meanwhile, Gabby Lopez (+5/MC) missed the cut but gave us a masterclass on handling slopes. Watch this: Standing outside the putting green, she rolled the ball up the hill and into the hole for an eagle.

Decades of memories: Would you believe Charley Hull (-2/T6) first played at Royal Lytham in 2006 when she was just ten years old? She beat 24,000 entries to earn a place at the Pro-Am. Watch this clip of Hull at 10 and at 30 side by side—the exact same swing, the exact same mannerism, and the exact same talent.

Not every piece of golf gear is meant for tournament week. Some are simply made for the rhythm of the game. The early tee times, the practice sessions, and the stories that follow every round.

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Last Poll Result: 57.82% of you said the PGA Tour University Program should be expanded.

Hardly anyone could have stopped Lloyd Mangrum from playing golf had it not been for military duties. Lloyd was born on August 1, 1914, and turned pro at the age of 14. Yes, he was a forerunner of pros such as Blades Brown and Akshay Bhatia, who turned pro before seeing 20 summers on earth.

Lloyd dabbled in multiple professions. Taxi driving. Singing. And even like Jake Knapp, working as a bouncer. Around 1937, he tried his luck in the professional circuit and became a touring pro. By that time, he had developed one of the smoothest swings. Watch this rare vintage footage and see why he was so admired.

Nine years later, he defeated Byron Nelson and Vic Ghezzi in a 36-hole playoff to win his first and only major at the 1946 U.S. Open. He also had 36 titles to his name, which were later recognized as official PGA Tour wins. He could have won more had he not served in the Army or gotten injured in a jeep accident.

Regardless, Mangrum played in the Ryder Cup four times and had a pretty good record (6-2-0). Later, in 1954, he built a house in Apple Valley, California, and lived there until his death in 1973. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1998, despite having gained a reputation for being “the forgotten man of golf.”

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