golf Al Geiberger

Al Geiberger has never seen a replay of the magical round of golf in 1977 that transformed him into “Mr. 59,” and provided a marvelous legacy he never expected for his PGA TOUR career.

Al Geiberger (r) discusses his final putt that capped off the 59 with son Brent. (Jimmy Darr)
Inside The Numbers
Al Geiberger’s PGA TOUR stats
Events 548
Rounds 2,081
Wins 11
Seconds 13
Thirds 9
Top 10s 120
Top 25s 257
Cuts Made 471
Official Money $1,265,188

“I’ve never even seen myself make that putt on the last hole,” said Geiberger, now 69, recalling his historic second round of the Danny Thomas Memphis Classic. “I know the feelings that were going through me, but I’d like to see it from another point of view.”

The easy-going Californian proudly claims, however, being the answer to a trivia question in one of those bar-room scenes when Cheers was a popular TV sitcom.

“I think you have arrived when you’re a sports trivia question on Cheers,” Geiberger said with a laugh.

Geiberger was in Memphis this week for the 50th consecutive event of what is now the Stanford St. Jude Championship, a $6 million stop on TOUR. Coincidently, this is the 30th anniversary of his 13-under-par 59 at Colonial Country Club in Cordova, Tenn. — the first 59 in TOUR history.

“I’m hearing from all the golf magazines again, and it’s been a lot of fun talking about it,” he said.

In this era of endless replays of sports history, the reason Geiberger has not seen any video of his round — or the 8-10 foot putt for birdie on his final hole (No. 9) — was because the tournament was not on national TV in 1977. He’s been told that the only local film footage was lost in a storage-room fire.

But his memories remain vivid.

During a visit to Colonial on Monday, where sectional qualifying for the U.S. Open was being held, Geiberger greeted his son Brent, who had just finished playing the course for the first time and shooting 72.

“I beat you by 13 shots,” Al said with a laugh.

Such is the joyful spirit that the historic round continues to generate in the memory of the man who shot it.

“I am amazed that it’s been 30 years and the record still hasn’t been broken,” said Geiberger, who played in a Champions Skins Game at TPC Southwind on Tuesday after being honored with a reception at Colonial on Monday. “When I first shot it, I figured it would last only a few years.”

The mark was tied by Chip Beck at Las Vegas in 1991 and David Duval in 1999 at the Bob Hope.

“I still wonder sometimes how I ever did it,” Geiberger said. “I still get a lot of respect. It’s really amazing.”

The respect continued during the sectional qualifying at Colonial’s south course.

“If there ever was a truly magical round, that had to be it,” said Duffy Waldorf, contemplating the 59 after posting a 72. “It had to be one of those rounds where you’re just out of your mind . . . just magical.”

After shooting 69, Tim Petrovic said, “I could tee off from the red tees and not shoot 59. You really have to have the flat stick going. He’ll always be ‘Mr. 59′ because he was the first one to do it.”

Geiberger, an 11-time winner on TOUR and a 10-time winner on the Champions Tour, has special memories of the round that have provided a lifetime of stories for the man who made 11 birdies and an eagle. At one stage he was 8-under-par in a 7-hole stretch.

His answer to anyone who asks if he ever thought he’d shoot 59 that day is standard: “Gosh, no. If I did, I probably would have choked to death.”

Before his 59, Geiberger thought his defining moment would be the PGA Championship he won in 1966. “But people don’t call me ‘Mr. PGA,’” he said, with a grin.

Most autograph seekers still expect to see more than a Geiberger signature. “They want that ‘Mr. 59′ on there,” he said with a grin.

But not everybody understands.

“I’ll sign and somebody will ask: ‘What’s that you wrote under your name? What does that mean?’ So that’s the humbling part. Some people know; others have no clue.”

Geiberger, who is now pro emeritus at Stone Eagle Golf Club in Palm Desert, Calif., has business cards that introduce him as “Mr. 59″ and show his hole-by-hole scorecard. The last four digits of his cell phone number are 5959. He gives away golf balls with the scorecard printed on the ball. For years, he hosted the “Mr. 59 Invitational” charity tournament.

He remains the only player to ever win a TOUR event without shooting a round in the 60s. He shot 72-59-72-70 — 273 (15-under par) in the event that had a $200,000 purse.

“Mathematicians have told me it’s impossible to shoot a score of 273 without a round in the 60s,” Geiberger said, in a perplexing tone. “They almost feel like, mathematically, that’s more of a miracle than shooting the 59 itself.”

Two weeks later he shot 81 in a TOUR event in Chicago. “In 14 days, I’d become the only TOUR player to shoot in the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s,” he said, laughing again.

Thus, his fun continues and the admiration for “Mr. 59″ remains strong.

“It’s neat to be able to play where my dad’s got a lot of history,” said Brent Geiberger, after playing the course for the first time. “When I first got on TOUR in the late ’90s, I had Tom Kite, Lanny (Wadkins), Tom Watson all coming up to me saying how impressive his round was. Going around here (on Monday), it’s still really impressive. It was such a feat.

“I managed to get two birdies on this course. He made 11 birdies and an eagle . . . with persimmon woods and probably a 70-compression ball in 105-degree heat. That’s impressive.”

During Champions Day activities on Tuesday at the SSJC, two-time U. S. Open champion Curtis Strange, who won in Memphis in 1987, cited the difficulty of the 7,200-yard Colonial course that had grainy Bermuda greens in those days.

“That course was one of the 3-4-5 courses I would have bet you would have never seen a 59 on,” Strange said. “I think it’s one of the greatest feats in the history of the game. I really do.”