Stuart Appleby wins the Greenbrier Classic

Australia's Stuart Appleby fired a final round of 59 to win the inaugural Greenbrier Classic by a single shot over Jeff Overton of the USA. Appleby is the fifth man to record a sub-60 score on the PGA Tour.

Stuart Appleby

Australia's Stuart Appleby fired a final round of 59 to win the inaugural Greenbrier Classic by a single shot over Jeff Overton of the USA. Appleby is the fifth man to record a sub-60 score on the PGA Tour.

Appleby ended four years without a PGA Tour victory in the best possible style, birdying his last three holes to shoot 59 and post a four-round total of 22-under-par.

"I did the math. I was chasing Jeff, who was heading toward the finish line," Appleby said. "At the same time I was playing well and I thought if I could keep making birdies ... There were plenty of birdie chances coming in."

Playing three groups behind Appleby, overnight leader Jeff Overton closed with a 67 and came up just one shot shy of Appleby's total.

"I got beat by a 59," said Overton. "What can you say? I played great, hit a lot of great shots, but you can't win golf tournaments when you putt it that bad."

It was Overton's third runner-up finish of 2010 and he remains winless on the PGA Tour.

In total, Appleby recorded nine birdies and an eagle to negotiate the Old White course at the Greenbrier in 11-under-par. He is the second player this year to break 60 on the PGA Tour - Paul Goydos achieved the same feat in the John Deere Classic last month. Goydos recorded his 59 on a par 71 course and the other men to shoot sub-60 rounds on the PGA Tour - David Duval, Chip Beck and Al Geiberger - managed it on par 72 layouts. After the tournament there was already debate on where Appleby's effort ranks.

"I can see both sides of the fence," said Appleby. "It is a number. I shot that number. But who says par is supposed to be 72? There's a lot of great courses that aren't 72."

Brendon de Jonge of South Africa finished third while DA Points, Woody Austin, Paul Stankowski, Roger Tambellini and Jimmy Walker were tied fourth.

Fergus Bisset
Contributing Editor

Fergus is Golf Monthly's resident expert on the history of the game and has written extensively on that subject. He is a golf obsessive and 1-handicapper. Growing up in the North East of Scotland, golf runs through his veins and his passion for the sport was bolstered during his time at St Andrews university studying history. He went on to earn a post graduate diploma from the London School of Journalism. Fergus has worked for Golf Monthly since 2004 and has written two books on the game; "Great Golf Debates" together with Jezz Ellwood of Golf Monthly and the history section of "The Ultimate Golf Book" together with Neil Tappin , also of Golf Monthly. 

Fergus once shanked a ball from just over Granny Clark's Wynd on the 18th of the Old Course that struck the St Andrews Golf Club and rebounded into the Valley of Sin, from where he saved par. Who says there's no golfing god?