Old Course trips up sprinting Haeggman

Entering the homeward journey, Joakim Haeggman thought about the challenge of becoming the first player to break 60 in a European tournament. He had just shot an astonishing 27 for the front nine at St Andrews yesterday, and the elusive target of 59 seemed within reach. But tradition was against him. Not simply the fact that he was attempting to do it on the illustrious Old Course, but because of the nature of his front nine.

The last time a 59 was shot in a professional tournament was almost exactly seven years ago. Chip Beck did it in the third round of the Las Vegas Invitational, in which he missed only one green in regulation and had only 24 putts.

But the most important aspect of Beck's score was that the 13 birdies were evenly spaced - six of them in a front nine of 30 and the other seven in a homeward 29. History tells us that the sort of spectacular burst which Haeggman produced doesn't last.

The point is emphasised by the experience of Ireland's David Higgins three years ago. While competing in the South African Tour School at the Crown Mines GC in Johannesburg, Higgins covered the first seven holes in an astonishing nine under par - two eagles and five birdies.

Like Haeggman, Higgins was convinced he could go on to break 60, but reality hit him when he three-putted the eighth for a bogey and he eventually shot a 63.

When Curtis Strange shot a course record 62 at St Andrews during the Dunhill Cup of 1987, his par-breaking efforts were also evenly spaced in halves of 31. And again unlike the Swede, he retained control around the turn and into the homeward journey, shooting six successive birdies from the seventh to the 12th.

Though he was a stroke outside the front nine of 28 by Mark O'Meara in last year's Dunhill Cup, Haeggman equalled the record for the European Tour. "It would be hard to find a better place to do it," he said. "I went through a lot of emotions. I suppose it's proof that it's possible to shoot 54."

He went on: "I thought about what I needed to do to break 60 and I was just trying to keep going for more birdies, but I lost momentum on the 12th." That was where he ran up a wretched triple-bogey seven after hooking his drive into a gorse bush and later three-putting. "The crowd was building after nine holes - but they went after that, though!"

His American opponent, Justin Leonard commented: "I was just trying to keep the scorecard real neat because I knew it was going on a wall somewhere. What can I say? All I said to him was good shot, nice drive, that's perfect, good putt."

The previous 27s on the European tour were by Jose Maria Canizares (1978 Swiss Open) and twice by Robert Lee - at the 1985 Monte Carlo Open and then again in the 1987 Portuguese Open. On the American circuit it has been done only twice - by Mike Souchak (1955 Texas Open) and Andy North (1975 BC Open) - while American Bill Brask also did it in the 1976 New Zealand PGA.