INCAgolf All you ever wanted to know about golf (well almost)

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. – Stuart Appleby understands the scrutiny that might come with shooting a 59 on a par-70 course.

The Australian won the Greenbrier Classic on Sunday and became the fifth PGA Tour player to hit golf’s magic number. His milestone came less than a month after Paul Goydos had a 59 at the John Deere Classic.

Appleby was the first to reach 59 on a par-70 course; Goydos’ course was par 71. The three other 59s were on par 72s: Al Geiberger at the 1977 Memphis Classic, Chip Beck at the 1991 Las Vegas Invitational and David Duval at the 1999 Bob Hope Classic.

“Look, I’ll debate it with you. I agree,” Appleby said. “I can see both sides of the fence. It is a number. I shot that number. But who says par is supposed to be 72? There’s a lot of great courses that aren’t 72.”

Golfers had raved about an Old White course that already yielded J.B. Holmes’ 60 and D.A. Points’ 61 on Saturday, and Jeff Overton’s 62 on Friday.