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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Sam Saunders shoots 12-under 59 in Web.com Tour Championship

FILE- In this March 17, 2017, file photo, Sam Saunders tees off on the 16th hole during the second round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational golf tournament. (Phelan M. Ebenhack / Associated Press)
Associated Press

ATLANTIC BEACH, Fla. – Sam Saunders, Arnold Palmer’s grandson, shot a 12-under 59 on his home course Thursday in the first round of the Web.com Tour Championship.

Saunders closed with six straight birdies at Atlantic Beach Country Club – the Jacksonville-area club where he has a membership – for the seventh sub-60 round in Web.com Tour history.

Stephan Jaeger set the tour record of 58 last year in the Ellie Mae Classic at TPC Stonebrae in Hayward, California, and Notah Begay III, Doug Dunakey, Jason Gore, Will Wilcox and Russell Knox also shot 59.

Saunders had 13 birdies and a bogey. Opening on the 10th hole, he birdied the first three holes, added a birdie on 14, bogeyed the par-3 15th and birdied 15 and 18 to make the turn in 5 under. He birdied No. 2 and Nos. 4-9 for a 7-under 28 on his final nine.

The 30-year-old Saunders is trying to regain his PGA Tour card in the four-event Web.com Tour Finals after finishing 129th in the FedEx Cup standings. He entered the week 24th in the race for 25 PGA Tour cards with $27,900 in the first three events. He tied for 11th in the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship, tied for 40th in the Albertsons Boise Open and missed the cut in the DAP Championship.

Fellow Atlantic Beach member Steve Wheatcroft and Matt Atkins were tied for second at 62, and Tyler Duncan and Ben Silverman shot 63.

Alex Prugh, a Ferris alumnus, shot 68 to tie for 52nd. Joel Dahmen, a former student at Clarkston, tied for 78th at 70.