Jarrett flirts with 59, breaks course record

When the average golfer tees is up on the first hole, they have a goal in mind to break 100, 90, 80 or even 70.

How about flirting with a 59 on a par 72 course?

Nick Jarrett, 22 of Woodbury, came so close during the Prestwick Classic, a club event at Prestwick Golf Club on July 9-10.

After firing an 8-under 28 on the front nine, Jarrett finished with a 12-under 60 and the new course record at Prestwick.

As an employee for the club since he was a sophomore in high school, Jarrett of all people, knows the course layout like the back of his hand, but to come within one shot of shooting a 59, what some would call unimaginable, some talent is in store as well.

“My first thought was “Are you kidding me,”” Tom Wahl, head professional at Prestwick said. “it doesn’t happen that often, I think only three times in the state has that been done.

“It was great because it happened at one of our events, it was one of our employees and a lot of people got to see him come in on 18 to watch.”

What those who may have surrounded the 18^th green at Prestwick, a 512-yard par 5 that Jarrett reached in two.

So he had a putt at it to make a 59, but Jarrett said it was a tough, long putt with a lot of break to it.

“I reached the green in two, had about a 35-foot putt for eagle, but had to play about 10 feet of break,” Jarrett said. “I think I played about eight and had a birdie tap in for a 60.”

A birdie tap in for a 60? Not too bad of a day on the links isn’t it?

The only blemish on Jarrett’s card was a bogey on the par 3 17^th, which started with one of his rare misses on his approach.

Just missing the green, he was unable to get up-and-down for par, so he needed an eagle on the last to get to 59.

However, the thought of getting a 59 came much sooner than that.

After six holes, Jarrett was 6-under. He birdied the par 3 sixth to get him there after draining a 35-footer, his only lengthy putt he had to make.

“After I made that putt and was 6-under through six, I was going for it (59),” he said. “I knew I had some birdie holes on the way in and was feeling really good about my game.”

Jarrett drove the green on the par 4 eighth and tapped in for birdie after missing the eagle attempt.

He made a par on the ninth for a 28 on the front and had to shoot an equally impressive 31 on the back to break 60.

On the back, he came out firing with a birdie on 10, followed by birdies on 12, 13, 15 and 16 before dropping a shot on 17.

On the last hole, Jarrett had just an 8-iron to the green from 180-yards, meaning he pounded a drive of 332-yards off the tee on 18.

With the excitement of possibly breaking 60, Jarrett said he could feel it and had to adjust accordingly.

“I had some adrenaline, so I went with an eight iron instead of a seven iron,” he said. “I think I had just a bit of wind behind me, too, so it was the right club.”

Prior to his record-breaking performance, Jarrett’s previous low round was a 66 on a spring break golf trip to Arizona while he was playing for Concordia University – St. Paul.

Since, he has hovered around a handicap of zero or plus-one, meaning he typically will shoot under par whenever he does play.

Needless to say, when this score is computed, he will see a bit of a change.

“I think so,” Jarrett said. “I haven’t checked it in a while, but it might.”

Despite his score, Jarrett said it was not necessarily his best round in terms of iron play, but most solid and consistent.

“I hit the ball in the right spots,” he said. “There have been rounds when I have hit a four or five shots that were right on.

“When I shot my 60, I left myself with a lot of makeable putts, a lot that were uphill. When you get older and have more experience, you have knowledge of the course and put yourself in the right position to score and know that you don’t always have to go right after the pin.”

Ryan Guentzel, former Notre Dame Fighting Irish player and captain of the 2010-11 team that just made it to the Frozen Four in St. Paul this spring, was Jarrett’s playing partner at the event.

Jarrett has graduated from Concordia and has a degree in finance and continues to work at Prestwick.

“Nick is just a great kid and has been with us for a while,” Wahl said. “We have seen him grow, so to have someone on your staff, who has been with you as long as he has and be the person he is, this record means that much more.

“Nick wants to be a college golf coach and this just adds some credibility to what he wants to do. We see how he is when teaching and he is great, but now people know he knows how to play the game well, it just adds credibility.”