Texas Children's Houston Open

Memorial Park Golf Course



The Loop

Canadian asst. pro goes low ... really, really low

May 26, 2010

There's being in the zone and then there's creating your own zone. Jamie Kureluk's otherworldly performance in the first round of the RBC Insurance Alberta Open Championship certainly falls under the latter category.

Kureluk, an assistant pro at Cottonwood Golf and Country Club in Calgary, fired a ridiculous 11-under-par 25 on the 3,428-yard back nine at Carnmoney Golf Club Tuesday. Yes, that's 25 and no, he wasn't playing a video game.

In total, Kureluk shot a 61 to grab a four-shot lead in the event that features a purse of $31,000 and some of the top player on the Canadian Tour. Unfortunately for the 34-year-old Calgarian, he couldn't break 60 thanks to what he undoubtedly will consider the most disappointing even-par 36 for nine holes of his career on the front side. That included a four-putt double bogey on the short, par-3 fifth hole that left him two-over for the round, but he did birdie No. 9, meaning he was 12-under for his final 10 holes.

According to the Calgary Herald, Kureluk stopped playing full-time on the Canadian Tour after the 2006 season to take a more steady job as an assistant pro. He plans to try to qualify for the upcoming U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and then go to Q School in the fall to attempt to earn his PGA Tour card.

Corey Pavin holds the PGA Tour record for low nine-hole score when he shot an eight-under 26 in the first round of the 2006 U.S. Bank Championship. And Canada was the site of another PGA Tour scoring record when Mark Calcavecchia made nine consecutive birdies in the second round of the Canadian Open at Glen Abbey Golf Course last July.

Under different, but still tournament conditions, Kureluk had 10 straight holes of birdie or better. He made two eagles, each time just needing a putt from inside of four feet, including one on No. 18 to close out his mythical round in style. Then again, at that point, a simple birdie probably would have done the trick.

-- Alex Myers