Russell Knox fired a bogey-free 12-under 59 on Friday to take a one-shot lead after 36 holes at the Albertsons Boise Open Presented by Kraft being played at Hillcrest Country Club in Boise, ID. The round breaks the previous course record of 61, on the par-71 layout that is playing 6,698 yards for this week's event.
The 28-year-old from Inverness, Scotland, became just the fifth player in Web.com Tour history, and second this season, to accomplish the feat. Just two weekends ago, Will Wilcox shot 59 at Willow Creek Country Club in the final round of the Utah Championship to finish T-3rd. He then became the first Web.com Tour player since Jason Gore in 2005 to reach golf's magic number.
The other Web.com Tour participants to shoot 59 have been Doug Dunakey and Notah Begay III, who both did so during the 1998 season.
Knox started the day T-73rd at two-under after shooting 69 Thursday and was in the first group Friday on the 10th tee at 7:15 a.m. MT. He opened his round with a birdie on his opening hole, the par-4 10th before stringing together four straight pars.
But that was the moment he caught fire and started scorching the course. Knox would go birdie-eagle-birdie on his next three holes (15, 16 and 17th), before taking a 'breather'by making the turn on 18th and No. 1 with pars.
He would then eagle the Par-5 second hole and birdie holes three through seven to reach 12-under for the day. He would ‘cool down’ in the final two holes, settling for a two mere pars, thus scoring the magical number of 59 to finish his second round.
Knox has been splitting his time this year between the PGA and Web.com tours, and is still in search of his first top-10 finish this season on either tour. He has made seven cuts this year on the PGA Tour, most recently finishing T-17th at last week's Sanderson Farms Championship.
On the Web.com Tour, he has the only win of his career on the 2011 Chiquita Classic at the TPC River's Bend in Cincinnati, OH. This year he has made the cut six times on eight events and is currently 73rd on the money list; but the winner’s share of $139,500 this weekend would boost him to No. 10.
He will start the third round as the leader at 14-under and one shot in front of Jamie Lovemark, Bronson La'Cassie and Hunter Haas.
The 25-year-old Lovemark, who won last week’s Midwest Classic presented by Cadillac, had the day’s second lowest round thanks to a bogey-free nine-under 62. His round included seven birdies and one eagle. He leads the tournament in Putts-Per-GIR with 1.500 and is currently fifth in driving distance averaging a booming 342 yards.
Australian La'Cassie was one of eight players that shot eight-under tying for the third lowest round today. He went bogey-free scoring eight birdies and is currently tied for second on the tournament in GIR percentage at 88.89.
Haas was the overnight co-leader with New Zealander Steven Alker, who won the Utah Championship two weeks ago in a playoff. On Friday he shot a bogey free nine-under 62, but couldn’t replicate the opening round’s success and shot a four-under 67 product of seven birdies and three bogeys, one of which came in the closing 18th hole.
Alker, shot a three-under 68 today and is currently T-5th along with Americans Mark Anderson, Chad Collins and Erik Flores, two shots behind at 12-under.