The golf world was focused on Lexi Thompson’s first PGA Tour round on Thursday, but Beau Hossler took a big step toward winning his first PGA Tour title. It just might not be as big as you’d think.
Hossler fired an opening 62 at TPC Summerlin to grab the Day 1 lead at nine under. But one crazy stat indicates he’s probably not going to win. Actually, he’s almost definitely not going to win if this trend holds.
That’s because, according to the tour, Hossler became the 16th player to shoot 62 or better in the first round this season. And of the 15 prior, only ONE has gone on to win the tournament.
That player was Keegan Bradley at the Travelers Championship in June. Bradley backed up his Thursday 62 with scores of 63, 64 and 68 to win by three.
In other words, winning a 72-hole PGA Tour event is a marathon, not a sprint. Insert your favorite LIV joke here. Although, seriously, the 54-hole format is a big reason why the new league continues to be denied Official World Golf Ranking points.
Hossler has two career runner-ups, including a playoff loss to Ian Poulter at the 2018 Houston Open, but is still looking for his maiden win in his 174th start. Anyway, sorry, Beau, but just passing along facts. Good luck bucking the trend!
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
