59 : Golf: Beck earns $500,000 bonus for tying Geiberger’s PGA one-round record, set in 1977. However, the difficulty of the Sunrise Golf Club in Las Vegas is questioned.

When the Sunrise Golf Club course replaced Spanish Trails as one of the three to be used in the Las Vegas Invitational this week, some of the touring pros predicted that conditions might be ripe for someone to equal the 59 shot by Al Geiberger in 1977.

Chip Beck, fresh from helping the United States regain the Ryder Cup two weeks ago, made the predictions come true in the third round Friday when he shot a 59, 13 under par, over the flat desert course.

Beck, 35, who played the back nine first, got his day started right by rolling in a 40-foot putt on his first hole, the 460-yard No. 10. Then, after parring the 11th, had six birdies in a row for an opening nine of 29.

“The way I did it today, I could have shot 59 anywhere,” Beck said. “It’s nice to be aligned with Geiberger. He’s always been a hero of mine.”

The 59, which matched Geiberger’s score in the second round of the Memphis Classic at the Colonial Country Club as the lowest 18-hole score in PGA Tour history, was worth a $500,000 bonus to Beck and $500,000 to junior golf and PGA Tour charities. The money was paid by the Hilton Corp. hotel chain.

“I first thought a 59 was possible when Hilton sent us the information,” Beck said. “I felt someone would shoot 59. I just didn’t think it would be me. I really began to think it might be me when I had six holes to go and was 10 under par.”

Critics, among them Sunrise course designer Jim Colbert, pointed out that the layout, although listed at 6,914 yards, played much shorter because of the dry desert air, and that it is less than a year old and was not designed for tournament players.

“It’s a members’ course,” Colbert said. “It was built for members to play and enjoy. It (is probably) a little short for these guys.”

Said Bruce Lietzke, tied with Beck for the lead with 196, 20 under par: “Colonial was a highly respected course with a long history on the tour. Sunrise is a new course, one on which many of us thought 59 could be shot. When I played a practice round here, I thought it a definite possibility.”

Lietzke, who shot a 65 Friday, also played in Memphis the day Geiberger shot his 59.

Geiberger, playing in a senior tour event at Rancho Murieta, near Sacramento, was ambivalent about hearing that he would have to share his record.

“I don’t know anything about Sunrise,” he said. “I’ll let everyone tell me about it, but the PGA Tour approved it so I guess it was legit. Chip got $500,000 and that’s enough (for me) to choke on right there.”

Geiberger received nothing when he became the first professional to shoot a sub-60 round.

“I’m not sure how I’ll feel about having a 59 partner,” Geiberger added. “I’m curious to know if he felt more pressure sinking that last putt for 59 or making a key putt in the Ryder Cup. I would have been choking my guts out. I’m happy for Chip, but I just don’t want people saying the course was real easy.

“I’ll give a little bit to the equipment and quite a bit to the depth of the field. Today, 150 good players tee it up every week. Mentally, they’re a more aggressive group out there now. I didn’t know that (59) was the record when I shot it. Maybe that helped me. All of those guys know about the 59 today.

“Maybe I should have copyrighted ‘Mr. 59’ about 10 years ago. It will take time to settle in about holding this with someone else.”

Beck, who had never seen the Sunrise course before Friday, credited his caddie, Dave Woosley, for guiding him around.

“Dave did the work,” Beck said. “It was definitely a team effort. He gave me great yardage all day. When I made that first putt of 40 feet, it opened things up for me. It’s an amazing feeling once it gets going.”

Beck became so confident after a while that he asked PGA official Glenn Tait if Hilton had really promised the $1-million bonus.

“I had six holes left at the time,” Beck said. “I really felt I could get it then. I thought I could make an eagle on No. 7 (a 498-yard, par-5) and I almost did. I thought I hit a good putt, but it came up short. That meant I had to birdie the last two holes to get it. On No. 8 (a 191-yard, par-3), I hit a five-iron right at the pin but it bounced to the left.”

He made the birdie putt, though, and all that remained was the 408-yard, par-4 ninth hole.

“I hit an eight-iron 157 yards on my second shot, and the ball rolled about three feet from the cup. My amateur partners wanted me to putt out, but I told them to go ahead and do like we had all day. I (thought I would) be able to relax while they putted out.”

The format in the Las Vegas Invitational is for professionals to play four rounds with amateur partners and then a final pros-only round Sunday at the Las Vegas Country Club.

“I was shaking,” Beck said. “The longer I waited, the longer (the putt) looked. I hit it to break in from the right edge and it did. When I told Glenn (Tait) I was going to do it, then I said to myself, ‘Chip, you’ve told him,’ but it gave me peace.

“After the Ryder Cup, it was like a walk in the park. Ryder Cup preparation helped me. It put me in a good concentration level. I was so pleased that I didn’t get in my own way.”

Beck said that a portion of his $500,000 bonus--which will be paid off at $25,000 a year for 20 years--will go to charity.

The Magic Number A look at Chip Beck’s record-tying round of 59 Friday ath the 6,914-yard, par-72 Sunrise Golf Club in the Las Vegas Invitational.

Hole by hole (started on 10th hole)

Hole Yardage/Par Shot description 10 460-yard par 4 Driver, 7-iron, 40 foot putt 11 466-yard par 4 Driver, 5-iron, 2 putts from 25 feet 12 164-yard par 3 5 iron, 4-foot putt 13 616-yard par 5 Driver, 2-iron, pitching wedge, 6 foot putt 14 334-yard par 4 3-wood, sand wedge, 6 foot putt 15 187-yard par 3 5-iron, 20 foot putt 16 546-yard par 5 Driver, 3-wood, 2 putts from 25 feet 17 366-yard par 4 3-wood, pitching wedge, 10 foot putt 18 443-yard par 4 Driver, 6-iron, 2 putts from 35 feet

Hole Result 10 Birdie 3. 11 Par 4. 12 Birdie 2. 13 Birdie 4. 14 Birdie 3. 15 Birdie 2. 16 Birdie 4. 17 Birdie 3. 18 Par 4.

Yardage out: 3,332

Hole Yardage/Par Shot description Result 1 423-yard par 4 Driver, 9-iron, 4 foot putt Birdie 3. 2 331-yard par 4 4-iron, pitching wedge, 10 foot putt Birdie 3. 3 439-yard par 4 Driver, 6-iron, 2 putts from 20 feet Par 4. 4 524-yard par 5 Driver, 3-wood, chip, 2 foot putt Birdie 4. 5 361-yard par 4 3-wood, pitching wedge, 2 putts Par 4. 6 157-yard par 3 7-iron, 2 putts from 20 feet Par 3. 7 498-yard par 5 Driver, 2-iron, 2 putts from 25 feet Birdie 4. 8 191-yard par 3 5 iron, 8 foot putt Birdie 2. 9 408-yard par 4 Driver, 8-iron, 3 foot putt Birdie 3

Yardage in 3,582 The PGA’s Lowest Scores The lowest scroes in the history of the PGA Tour with score, player, course location, year and PGA event.

59--Chip Beck, Las Vegas, 1991, Las Vegas Invitational. 59--Al Geiberger, Memphis, Tenn., 1977, Memphis Classic 60--Al Brosch, San Antonio, 1951, El Paso Open. 60--Bill Nary, El Paso, 1952, El Paso Open. 60--Ted Kroll, San Antonio, 1954, Texas Open. 60--Wally ulrich, Virginia Beach, Va., 1954, Virginia Beach Open 60--Tommy Bolt, Hartford, Conn., 1954, Insurance City Open. 60--Mike Souchak, San Antonio, 1955, Texas Open 60--sam Snead, Dallas, 1957, Dallas Open. 60--David Frost, Tucson, 1990, Tuscon Open.