Beau Hossler did almost nothing to prepare for his threat at 59: '4 minutes of stress'

Round 1 of the Wyndham Championship finally got underway on Friday after a Thursday washout due to rains from Tropical Storm Debby, and Beau Hossler emerged as the early leader with a 10-under 60 that almost became the third 59 of the PGA Tour season. A scintillating 28 on the front, highlighted by a tap-in eagle on No. 5, set him up for a legitimate 59 watch, and though Hossler took a slight step back with his only bogey of the day on 11, three birdies in the next four holes put him just a shot away from the milestone. When asked when he realized he might be on 59 watch, he pinpointed that moment.

"Probably when I birdied 15," he said. "I was 10 under, I knew it was a par 70."

Sixteen is one of the more difficult holes on the course, a 183-yard par-3, and Hossler did well to make a two-putt par, but he knew 17 would be his best opportunity for one last birdie. There, a perfect 290-yard drive left him just 95 yards to the hole, but his wedge spun more than he'd like, and his birdie attempt from 17 feet came up just short. That left the infamous 18th, where fates have been decided for years here at the tour's regular-season finale, but the best he could do was a strong up-and-down from the left bunker to secure his 60.

"There's five or six particularly daunting tee shots for me," Hossler said of Sedgefield Country Club, "blind and kind of got to curve it a little bit. In the past they've given me a bit of trouble; today, I drove it beautifully. Yeah, certainly from this golf course it's not particularly long, so from in the fairway you can make some birdies."

In all, he made nine of them, with an eagle to boot. Hossler is currently 88th in the FedExCup standings and came in needing a great finish to make the leap to the top 70, which would qualify him for the playoffs that start in Memphis next week. A first-place finish would more than do the trick, but even if he can't win, he's set himself up for a big leap if he can continue Friday's momentum.

The irony is, almost no preparation went into the round of his year, as the weather on Thursday forced him into a rare "quiet" day.

"Basically, I did nothing," he said. "Sat inside, watched 'Game of Thrones' for a bit, drank some coffee. My physio, we had some people over at the house and he made chicken parmesan. I guess I'm not great at taking days off, but when it's forced like that, you've kind of got to do it. Maybe I should do it more often."

Hossler said that his WHOOP watch, which he's been wearing for a month, indicated that he experienced just four minutes of stress on Thursday. What were they?

"I think it was me driving to the coffee shop in the middle of a hurricane," he joked.

With the weather clearing up for the weekend, and the tour still harboring some dreams of a potential Sunday finish (which would likely entail 36 holes on Sunday), Hossler is unlikely to duplicate his relaxing Thursday as he makes a playoff push. But he can replicate at least one part—"Game of Thrones” has eight seasons, and that should last him at least through the weekend.