If Beau Hossler’s back nine on Sunday morning is any indication, the final round of the 3M Open could get mighty interesting.
Hossler rattled off eight consecutive birdies beginning on No. 9 to tie the course-record 62 and finish 13 under for the tournament. He made par on 17 and 18 to shoot 29 on the back nine.
“Been waiting for it all week. I just got some looks and made some putts, finally got it to go in the hole,” said Hossler, who began the day at T55 and rose all the way to T4. Still, he trailed Lee Hodges by seven shots as he walked off the 18th green. “Kind of a weird thing to shoot so low on Sunday and have absolutely no chance of winning the tournament. A unique experience, but very thrilled to shoot that low.”
It may not lead to a win or even a top 10, but Hossler will gain critical FedExCup points. Hossler began the week 62nd in the FedExCup and is projected to stay around that number with a top-15 finish, giving him extra breathing room ahead of next week’s Wyndham Championship.
The run of eight birdies was one short of the PGA TOUR record first set by Mark Calcavecchia in 2009 and matched by Kevin Chappell in 2020. Hossler, focused on each individual shot, was unaware of his chance at history.
“I can’t imagine it would be much more than nine. Seems like a lot, doesn’t it? Eight was a lot, five a lot. I’ll take eight,” Hossler said.
It was a showcase of excellent approach play and several big putts. Hossler made birdies of 45, 20 and 19 feet during his run and stuck four wedges within five feet to keep the streak going. He missed a long birdie attempt on the par-3 17th to tie the consecutive birdies record. Then, after a perfect drive on the par-5 18th with the course record still in reach, Hossler airmailed the green with a hybrid and failed to get up and down for birdie.
“I just had such a bad number, I had like 222 to the hole,” he said of his approach into 18. “The wind was into, if anything, and it was on the upslope. It’s like if I hit a 4-iron and I get it a little bit too high, it’s in the water every time. So I hit hybrid and I frickin’ nuked it.”
It’s possible neither record is matched in the afternoon at TPC Twin Cities, but Hossler expects low scores to continue. There was not much wind to speak of as the leaders teed off, leading Hossler to believe the tournament was still up for grabs despite Hodges’ big lead.
“I’d say your average round today is probably going to be between 2 and 3 under par is my guess,” he said. “You’ll see some more low ones, I promise. Wind’s not up, the greens are soft and they’re rolling so good.”
Source : PGA Tour
