WYNDHAM CLARK, THE reigning US Open champion, broke the record for the lowest score at Pebble Beach on Saturday with his 12-under par round of 60 at the PGA Tour’s Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Clark, who had already made two eagles in his round, needed a third on the par-5 18th to finish on 59 but his 26-foot putt stopped just inches short of the hole.

The 30-year-old American, who won twice on the PGA Tour last season, had a real chance for a rare sub-60 score round but his birdie putts on the 16th and 17th both pulled up just short of the hole.

The previous course record of 62 was set by Tom Kite in 1983 and matched by fellow Americans David Duval in 1997 and Patrrick Cantlay in 2021 plus Austrian Matthias Schwab in 2022.

Clark’s round saw him rise to the top of the leaderboard in the third round with a two-stroke lead over Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg, who was mid-round.

Clark got off to a flying start with an eagle on the par-5 second, where he found the green with his 200-yard approach shot before sinking a 39-foot putt.

He birdied the par-4 fourth and then produced his second eagle on the par-5 sixth, where he superbly drained a 42-foot putt.

Clark then made three birdies in a row to reach the turn in 28 strokes, eight-under par.

The birdie streak continued on the 10th and 11th before a setback on the par-3 12th, where he made bogey after finding the greenside bunker and then the rough before avoiding a double-bogey with a 26-foot putt from the fringe.

The push for 59 came back into sight with birdies on the 13th and 14th before his exceptional putting fell short as he came in.

He took an aggressive approach on the final hole, where he blasted his second shot on to the green and although his eagle effort failed he had the compensation of the record low score on the historic course.

Of the Irish interest, Séamus Power is seven under par after a Saturday 68.

Rory McIlroy sits on two under after firing a shot more than the Waterford man during his third round.

– © AFP 2024