Utah Championship: Korn Ferry Tour rookie Chris Francoeur shoots a course-record 59 in second round

Chris Francoeur says he was so nervous on his 18th hole Friday in the second round of the Korn Ferry Tour’s Utah Championship at Ogden Golf & Country Club that he could barely feel his hands.

Why?

The tour rookie from Massachusetts needed a par on the par-3 9th hole, having started on the back nine, to join an elite group of golfers who have shot a sub-60 round in a professional golf tournament.

Consider it mission accomplished.

Francouer, a 27-year-old mini-tour traveler who graduated from the University of Rhode Island, made a tricky 3-footer on that hole for par and carded a an 11-under 59 to zoom up the leaderboard in Ogden. He was in the lead at 17-under after the phenomenal round.

“I couldn’t feel my hands on the last hole,” he told the Golf Channel, adding that word had gotten out that he was on the verge of greatness and a crowd of about 50 people had gathered around the No. 9 green to watch history get made.

Francoeur’s round, a competitive-round course-record at Ogden G&CC, included nine birdies and an eagle 2 on the short par-4 4th hole.

He chipped in on that hole, then made a birdie on the par-4 5th hole, his 14th. He had good looks for birdie on each of the next two holes, a 17-footer and a 10-footer, but couldn’t get them to drop.

He said he first thought about shooting 59 or better after chipping in on No. 4, which got him to 10-under.

“I knew I had a couple short holes coming in. I was trying not to think about it, but it was still creeping in,” he said. “I just tried to stay in the moment and just hit the shots, and luckily, I did.”

It was the first 59 on the Korn Ferry Tour this year, and third in a PGA Tour-sanctioned event in the last eight days. Last week, Michael Kim shot a 59 at the PGA Tour’s 3M Open in Minnesota, a day before Scott Stevens shot 59 at a PGA Tour America’s tournament in Canada.

It was the 16th sub-60 round in KFT history.

“It was really cool,” said Francoeur, who was No. 120 on the KFT points list coming into this week. “It is not often on a Friday, unless you’re trying to make the cut, that you feel those nerves. Thankfully, I’ve had a lot of weeks this season where I’ve had to make a par on the last hole to make the cut.”

Francoeur turned pro in 2022 and has struggled in his first year on the PGA Tour’s developmental circuit. His best finish this year has been a tie for 29th two months ago in Tennessee.

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Tough tournament for Utah ties

While the 5-foot-10 Francoeur, affectionately known as “Frenchie” on tour, was bringing the course to its knees, the contingent of golfers with Utah ties mostly struggled at the tournament, which is in its second year in Utah’s ninth-most populated city.

Farmington’s Daniel Summerhays was the only player with Utah ties to make the cut after shooting a 63 Friday to go with the 68 he shot on Thursday.

He’s tied for 25th heading into the weekend.

The cut came at -5, leaving Preston Summerhays (-5), former BYU golfer Carson Lundell (-3), Ogden’s Connor Howe (-2) and Mitchell Schow (-1), former BYU golfer Zac Jones (-1) and Sandy’s Barry Schenk (+11) on the outside looking in.

Last year, six of eight Utahns made played the weekend. Those six all finished in the top 54, led by Preston Summerhays at T7.

Last year’s tournament was won by former Duke golfer Julian Suri, who shot a four-round total of 18-under 262. That is just one shot better than where Francoeur stands entering this weekend.

Former BYU golfer Patrick Fishburn shares lead in Detroit

Friday was a good day for Utahns on the PGA Tour, as former BYU golfers Patrick Fishburn and Zac Blair, as well as former Salt Lake City resident Tony Finau, all made the cut in the Rocket Classic in Detroit.

In fact, Fishburn is tied with Patrick Cantlay and Cameron Young for a share of the lead at 10-under after shooting a 66 on Friday to go with Thursday’s 64.

Blair and Finau are tied for 32nd at 5-under.