Something extra special happened in the first round of the Wyndham Championship on Thursday.
Brandt Snedeker went out and fired an 11-under 59 – just the 10th, sub-60 round in PGA Tour history – at Sedgefield Country Club, which included a mind-blowing 8-under 27 on the inward nine.
Shortly after the round, TCN tracked down Snedeker’s caddie Travis Perkins to find out all about what the day was like.
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Perkins has been on Snedeker’s bag since April. The two started together at the Valero Texas Open. Here’s what he told us about the round of 59.
TCN: What a round. What was it like to caddie for Brandt in what was just the 10th sub-60 round in PGA Tour history?
Perkins: Obviously, it’s great.
We weren’t even really thinking about it. He was playing really well and then we holed a 7-iron on No. 6. That got us to 9 under with three holes to go and par is 70 at Sedgefield.
That was the first time I thought about it. Brandt hit it close on 7, made the putt and then said, ‘Come on. Two more birdies! Come on!’ At that point, he knew where he stood.
TCN: Crazy as it is, you guys opened the round with a bogey on No. 10 (they played the back side first) but played the next 17 holes in 12 under.
Perkins: Yeah, you know, the bogey wasn’t a big deal to start. Starting on 10, you have a difficult three-hole stretch out of the gate. He hit a bad shot on the opening hole and made a 5. Like I said, it was no big deal. That hole will play over par for the week. He hit good shots on 11 and 12 and made a 30-footer on 13.
Especially for Brandt, when he sees putts going in, he gets hot. He made a 25-footer on the next hole and we were off.
TCN: Surely, you’ve seen players in “the zone” before. How was today different from even that?
Perkins: Honestly, the mood was very light all day.
He’s comfortable here. He’s played well here. We were playing with Billy Horschel, a friend, so it was light. There was more chatter after the birdie on No. 7 with two holes to go. We started talking about new shows we’d been watching and keeping his mind off what he was attempting to do. Like a no hitter… don’t talk about it, just let it happen.
You stay out of his way, give him the facts — wind and number and let him figure it out. He’s the one making the decisions and he was making the right ones.
Put it this way, I was not going to disagree with a club selection the last three holes.
TCN: Were you experiencing any nerves late in the round?
Perkins: Not really. Everybody wants to be a part of that, but as a caddie you don’t say, “I want to caddie for a guy who shoots 59.”
I’m thinking bigger picture. The way I look at it is this: we’re in a great position with three days to go.
TCN: As you mentioned, Brandt is known as a great putter. But today was exceptional with over 180 feet worth of putts made. Have you ever seen anything like that?
Perkins: Not like that. Actually, come to think of it, this might be the second one I’ve seen from him.
In Memphis – I think it was the second round – he had like 150-160 feet of putts made and shot 62. That’s the only other time I’ve seen it from him.
The putter got hot today, sure, but then he was flagging it with the irons, too.
There was a stretch today where he needed just six feet of putts in six holes.
A ball of fire.
That’s a keeper. #LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/B7nxaxgHjE
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 16, 2018
TCN: Prior to today, what was the lowest score you had ever been on the bag for?
Perkins: I think it was with Scott Piercy in 2015. He shot 10-under 62 in Malaysia in the first round. That was on a par-72 course. The 62 Brandt shot in Memphis was at TPC Southwind, a par 70.
TCN: That last putt from just off the green on No. 9 today wasn’t a gimme by any means. It was a good 20 feet. That’s got to be the longest shot holed I can think of for a sub-60 round. Was there any doubt in your mind that Brandt was going to make it?
Perkins: I would agree. That’s got to be the longest.
You know, we do a drill on certain courses that helps him make a lot of feet of putts. He practices 5-, 10-, 15- and 20-footers. He has to make a certain amount of footage to finish the drill. He was right at the 20-foot mark for that last birdie putt from the fringe today.
Before he stepped in, he said to me, “this is exactly why we do these drills.”
I felt pretty good about it even before he said that. It was uphill and right to left. We were way better off than the downhill right to left putt he had on eight. That last putt was one he could be aggressive with.
🚨59🚨@BrandtSnedeker shoots a 59!#LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/qMag0wlolC
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 16, 2018
TCN: Where does this rank in terms of career highlights for you as a caddie?
Perkins: I’ve had two wins as a caddie. One with D.A. Points and one with Scott Piercy. But in terms of highlights, this one is up there. We all caddie for flags out here. Anyone will tell you that, so the wins are 1 and 2 for highlights. But this is definitely a top-3 moment for me. Going to the Masters for the first time is right up there, too.
TCN: Were there any notable reads or clubs you talked Brandt into today?
Perkins: He was in between clubs on the sixth hole. He thought it was a hard 7-iron or a three-quarter 6-iron. I was on a three-quarter 7 to a hard 8. Where we were at in the fairway, you couldn’t feel the wind. I talked him into what we call a “hold” 7 and it flew in.
Funny thing is, we didn’t even know it went in. We were up on the green and the hole was just destroyed, but only about 10 people were up by the green. We thought it had a chance, but maybe it was 10 feet or so. People were clapping, a guy raised his arms, but we just thought it was close.
When he hit it, he said, “good club,” and that’s all that was said. I handed him the putter. Turns out, he didn’t need it there.
DUNK! 🦅
And @BrandtSnedeker had NO idea. 😂#LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/U3BpsLD5mq
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 16, 2018
TCN: You mentioned that it’s your job to think big picture. How do you keep Brandt settled down for the next three days?
Perkins: We have to play to his strengths. Get on the green. If we’re out of position… this course fits him very well. He’s a great scrambler and great putter. It’s going to be the same game plan. We knew if he missed the fairway on 9, he wouldn’t have good look at birdie. But, he hit that fairway and we made the birdie.
Hopefully the putter stays hot and we’ll go from there.