Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Bernhard Langer's third round of 60 in the German Masters last Saturday, was that it was five years since comparable scoring had been done on the European Tour. In the US, however, Steve Lowery was maintaining recent standards there, by also shooting 60 in the final round of the Buick Challenge at Callaway Gardens.
Langer has a penchant for low scoring, which observers in this country would readily confirm. Before losing a play-off to Seve Ballesteros in the Irish Open at Royal Dublin in 1985, he shot a course record 63. And two years later, the German shot an astonishing, record aggregate of 269 - 19 under par - when capturing the title at Portmarnock.
Earlier that year, he had produced similar scoring exploits on the way to victory in the Volvo PGA Championship at Wentworth. His winning aggregate of 270 beat the previous record of 274, which had stood to Christy O'Connor Snr since his victory in the Daks Tournament in 1959.
Langer's performance at the Berliner club means that he is now the holder of five course records on the European Tour. Arguably the most notable of these is the 62 he shot at Valderrama on the way to victory in the Volvo Masters in 1993.
Indeed the German seems to enjoy winning with a flourish. For instance, when gaining the first of his four victories this season, he had a final round of 64 in the Italian Open. And it will be recalled that he had a final round of 63 when winning the Czech Open at Prague Karlstein in August.
As it happens, Darren Clarke was the last player to shoot 60 on the European Tour, prior to Langer's effort last weekend. But the Irishman was not prepared to think of the scores as being comparable. "For a start, my round at Monte Carlo was against a par of 69, compared with Bernhard's 60 against a par of 72," said Clarke.
The list of 60-shooters on the European Tour are: Baldovino Dassu (Swiss Open, 1971), David Llewellyn (Biarritz Open, 1988), Ian Woosnam (Monte Carlo, 1990), Jamie Spence (European Masters, 1992), Paul Curry (Scottish Open, 1992), Johan Rystrom (Monte Carlo, 1992), Clarke (Monte Carlo, 1992), Langer (German Masters, 1997).
Lowery's was the 11th round of 60 to be shot on the USPGA Tour. But the Americans have a highly significant edge, however, in that their tour has produced a magical 59 - twice. The first was done on preferred lies by Al Geiberger in the Memphis Classic at the par-72 Colonial in 1977.
That remained a record until 1991 when it was equalled by Chip Beck in the Las Vegas Invitational at the par-72 Sunrise GC. The 60shooters are: Al Brosch (Texas Open, 1951), Bill Nary (El Paso Open, 1952), Ted Knoll (Texas Open, 1954), Wally Ulrich (Virginia Beach Open, 1954), Tommy Bolt (Insurance City Open, 1954), Mike Souchak (Texas Open, 1955), Sam Snead (Dallas Open, 1957), David Frost (Tucson Open, 1990), Davis Love III (Hawaiian Open, 1994), Grant Waite (Phoenix Open, 1996), Lowery (Buick Challenge, 1997).
