Incredible 57 for David Carey on Alps Tour - "I've had worse days!"
David Carey rips a drive on the range
It won't count in the Guinness Book of Records because of the shortness of the course, but Castleknock's David Carey hopes his late coach Stephen Ennis was smiling down on him after opening with an incredible 11-under par 57 in the Cervino Open on the Alps Tour in Italy.
The Dubliner (23) made 11 birdies at 5,303-metres (5,801 yards), par-68 Cervino Golf Club in the shadow of the Matterhorn close to the Swiss border, just over 2,000 metres above sea level.
While the lowest officially recorded round is a 16-under 55 by Australian Rhein Gibson in 2012 — three other 55s have been documented but discounted due to the length of the course or other factors — Carey's 57 is the lowest recorded on a professional tour.
David Carey
Ryo Ishikawa (Japan Golf Tour), Stephan Jager (Web.com Tour) and Jim Furyk (PGA Tour) have all shot 58 on the main tours while there have also been 58s in so-called lesser events - Shigeki Maruyama in qualifying for the 2000 U.S. Open, Jason Bohn at the Canadian Tour's Bayer Championship in 2001 and John Hahn on the Tour Course at PGA Catalunya Resort in the 2014 European Tour Qualifying School Finals.
"I've had worse days," Carey joked from Italy. "I have shot 60 in practice, but they think this is the lowest ever round on the Alps Tour. I just putted well. Everything went in.
"We are 2,000 metres up, and it's absolutely spectacular with unbelievable views of the Matterhorn. It is short, but it is very tricky with tiny greens.
"I hit a few drivers, but a lot of the time I was just placing it out there with two irons and three irons and just getting it in play."
Starting on the back nine in cool early conditions, he birdied the 10th, 11th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 17th and 18th to turn in seven-under 27.
He then picked up two more shots at the first and third to get to nine under and while six pars would have given him a 59, he birdied the sixth and seventh before shaving the hole at the eighth and then lipping out for birdie at the ninth.
His 57 was his lowest Alps Tour round by eight shots, and it gave him a four-stroke lead in the clubhouse over France's Anthony Renard (61) with Ireland's Simon Bryan and Peter Dallat tied for fourth after 68s.
“That was just a great round of golf considering he started on the 10th hole,” Bryan said. “I could have seen a eight-under round out there but not double digits.”
Carey had his most recent lesson from Black Bush professional Shane O'Grady. But he admitted he was shocked and saddened by the loss of his former coach Stephen Ennis just five weeks ago.
"That came as a bit of a shock," said Carey, who turned professional when he was just 18. "He was coaching me until early this year and then told me he just wasn't feeling up to it.
"You never know, but if he was looking down today, I hope he had a smile on his face."
It was just 5 degrees celsius when Carey set off, but he opened with a two at the 221-metre 10th, hammering a five-iron to the front of the green before making a 30 footer.
"That was a pretty good way to start," said Carey, who hit a wedge stone dead at the 350m 11th, drained a 25 footer at the par-five 13th and then rifled a pitching wedge to five feet at the 140-yard 14th to go three-under.
He then birdied the tough 15th from 10 feet, salvaged par at the 16th, knocked in a 20 footer at the 17th and made a five-footer at the 18th.
"I knew I was going well and when I birdied the first (two putts from 30 ft) and third (five feet) to go nine-under, I knew a 59 was on.
"I birdied six (10 ft) and seven (20ft) to go 11-under, shaved the hole on eight and clipped the edge of the hole on the ninth from about 12 feet. It's not very often you have a putt for a 56.
"I had 24 putts - 26 if you count putts from off the green."
David Carey. Picture: Jimmy Penrose
A maiden win would give him a chance to challenge for one of five Challenge Tour cards awarded to the leading money winners.
"It will be tricky to follow today's score, but I will keep my head down, try to keep giving myself birdie putts and knock them in the hole,” he said..
Set to tee it up at the First Stage of the European Tour Qualifying School at Bogogno Golf Resort from October 1-4, Carey knows he will have a chance now to make a move from 38th in the Order of Merit to within striking distance of the leading players.
"The Challenge Tour cards might go down to seventh or eighth in the list with one guy already winning three times and another couple of guys already on Challenge Tour so with the top-five eligible players inside the top-10 getting cards, I might have a chance going into the Tour Championship if I can get inside the top 20.
"I turned pro when I was 18 and played half a season, and I have just been trying to get better ever since. Recently I've been seeing Shane O'Grady, who I worked with when I was on the Leinster panel. He's my second set of eyes and we had a little session just after the event at Galgorm Castle.'
Lowest rounds in official event on major tours:
Low rounds in lesser events or on mini tours
