Watch Korn Ferry Tour pro drain 40-footer for birdie to shoot 59 in Oklahoma
Justin Edmonds
Davis Chatfield entered the Compliance Solutions Championship in the ninth position on the Korn Ferry Tour points list. With only the Tour Championship remaining after this week, he’s in a good position to earn PGA Tour status for next year, but still, it’s one he was hoping to improve.
An opening 59 certainly helps his cause.
The 26-year-old from Massachusetts was only three under par after eight holes, then played the last 10 in nine under to shoot 12-under 59, the 16th sub-60 round in Korn Ferry Tour history. Chatfield played the last four holes in five under par to close out a 28 on the back nine for a coure record at the Patriot Golf Club in Owasso, Okla. Zecheng Dou shot 61.
Chatfield was only six under par after 13 holes, then finished birdie, albatross, birdie, par, birdie. That’s eight pars, nine birdies and an albatross for 59. The albatross came on the 561-yard par-5 15th hole, where he holed out from 268 yards with a 3-wood.
Of the albatross, he said, "Yeah, to be honest, like it wasn't even a great 3-wood into that hole. I had 268 and kind of like knife pulled one and was lucky to clear that bunker, and then it just chased up and heard people screaming on the green. Made a nice 2."
The final putt on 18, from 40 feet, can be seen here.
"Yeah, I've never had a chance at a 59, and honestly through like 13 or 14 holes today I wasn't thinking about it either," he said. "So yeah, when I was standing over that putt I felt good. I had a good read ... I just hit a great putt and lucky that one went in."
It’s been a strong season for Chatfield, who played college golf at Notre Dame. He turned pro in 2022 and finished 62nd on the Korn Ferry Tour points list in 2023, moved to 44th on the list last year and is up to ninth this year, thanks to six top-10 finishes and second-place finishes at the Astara Chile Classic and the UNC Health Championship.
The top 75 players on the tour’s points list after this week will earn exempt status for next year. The top 20 on the list after next week’s Tour Championship will earn PGA Tour membership for 2026. He is 194th in the Official World Golf Ranking.