Race to Dubai leader Tommy Fleetwood broke a 23-year-old course record at Carnoustie Golf Links during the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on Friday as he shot 63 round the famously tough links course.
The nine-under-par round meant Fleetwood bettered the 64 set by former Scottish professional, Alan Tait, back in 1994 which was subsequently matched by eight others, including Colin Montgomerie, Paul Lawrie and Alex Noren.
It caps a fantastic couple of weeks for the 26-year-old from Southport, who became a father only a fortnight ago.
Paired with Ogden Phipps II and playing alongside Rory McIlroy, Fleetwood got off to a solid start with three birdies on the opening six holes, including a birdie on the difficult Hogan’s Alley.
But it wasn’t until the back nine where Fleetwood’s round really took off as his approach to the green and play on the green was fantastic, carding five birdies in a row from the 11th to the 15th, including long-putts at the 11th and 13th and hitting the pin with his approach at 15.
After pars at 16 and 17, it came down to the final hole in front of a huge crowd, waiting in anticipation of what was to come.
A great approach to the green on the 18th left a 12-foot putt between Fleetwood and the course record.
And the 26-year-old had no problems as he holed the putt and became the sole holder of the Championship Course record.
Speaking of his achievements, Fleetwood said: “It sounds good, doesn’t it? You don’t really think too much about it whilst you’re playing, and to hole that one on the last for a course record, all in all, it was a good day’s work, wasn’t it.
“Any time you have a course record, especially on a golf course like this, it’s brilliant to have. I’m very proud at the moment.
“When I turned up this week, I hadn’t been practising whilst I was at home, so I had a week where I didn’t do anything and that week feels like a year when you’re in the middle of it.”