Taken from the Santa Cruz Sentinel: Usually, it's the rare bad round that renders standout golfer Eddie Olson speechless. But Friday in Aptos, Olson struggled to describe his emotions after shooting golf's magic number -- a course-record, 12-under-par 59 on Seascape Golf Club's 6,034-yard layout. "I've never won the lottery. I can't compare this to anything," Olson said of his sub-60 round. "This has gotta be more rare than a hole-in-one. It happens once in a lifetime. Obviously, I'm ecstatic." David Duval, Chip Beck and Al Geiberger are the only players to shoot 59 in PGA Tour competition. No one on the Tour has shot lower. Ex-LPGA great Annika Sorenstam is the only female to accomplish the feat. Olson's bogey-free round included 10 birdies and an eagle. Olson, an Aptos High alum who recently graduated from UNLV, returned to his old stomping grounds a few days ago for a friendly round of skins. He leaves again this weekend for Arkansas, where he will embark on his pro career. Olson will attempt to get through a Monday qualifier to earn a spot in the Nationwide Tour's Fort Smith Classic next week. "It's good to be back in town," said Olson, his voice cracking. "It's great. I always knew it was possible but never got it done. This confidence will be with me for a long time." The previous course record of 62 was shared by Olson, Travis Stephens, Jeff McMillan, Ken Woods, Marc Lawless and Robert Eberle. Stephens last accomplished feat in 2008. Olson, said he wasn't concerned with the course record when he stepped to the tee box on No. 18, a 436-yard par 4. He knew he needed birdie to shoot a sub-60 round. "It was the 59 that was on my mind," he said. He pulled his tee shot to the left of the fairway, which left him with an undesirable approach shot to the green. A tree hindered his backswing. "I had to go under a tree and around another tree," he said. "I hit it so good. It was a huge risk-reward type of shot under the circumstances. I had to pull it off."He did. He left his 20-foot, uphill putt attempt for 58 just shy of the hole and drained a 4-footer for his 59. He also carded eagle on the 441-yard No. 2 by sinking a 40-foot putt that broke six feet to the left. "I hadn't played Seascape in a couple of years," Olson said, "but something clicked today." Josh Christensen, Jason Haas and Jose Espinoza, along with Scott (Lil Lenny) Humphreys witnessed the round. Olson said the mood was very light all round and that he was relaxed. Olson was greeted by applauding fans when he entered the clubhouse after his round. He was essentially raised at Seascape. His mother, Marlene, used to drop him off before work in the morning and pick him up late in the evening. Olson won the NorCal and California Insterscholastic Federation state championship as a high school junior. His first win at UNLV came as a sophomore, when he earned medalist honors at the Mountain West Conference championships. A three-time Santa Cruz City Amateur champion, Olson also counts his Northern California Golf Association Amateur Match Play Championship at Spyglass Hill in 2005 among his fondest feats."This has gotta be up there," Olson said of his round. "It's something the best players in the world never achieve."
