Sebastian Munoz sets course record with a 12-under 60 first round

MCKINNEY, Texas — Near the end of his historic first round at the AT&T Byron Nelson, Sebastian Munoz thought briefly about protecting a good score.

Then came to his senses. “Let’s keep going,” he thought. The result was a great score: a 12-under-par 60, a TPC Craig Ranch course record by two.

“It’s a great feeling whenever everything is clicking,” said Munoz, a 29-year-old native of Colombia. “It’s just stay out of the way and just kind of let it happen.”

A one-time winner on the PGA TOUR, Munoz became the first player ever to post two rounds of 60 in the same TOUR season. Munoz is also just fifth player in TOUR history to have multiple rounds of 60 or lower. He also did it in November at the RSM Classic, where par is 70.

On Thursday, Munoz made nine birdies, two eagles and one bogey in an easy morning round in light winds. He shot 8-under 28 on the back nine, punctuated by a birdie-birdie-birdie finish.

The 2015graduate of the University of North Texas — 45 miles north of the Dallas area — gained more than five strokes on the field in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green and a staggering 10 strokes total. In a flurry of shotmaking, Munoz had no putt longer than 6 feet on holes 10 through 12.

He made them all for two birdies, one eagle and all the confidence in the world to see how low he could go.

“I had a tough putt on 12 for eagle,” Munoz said of the 5-and-a-half footer, “and like I was thinking like, ‘It's okay if I don't make this one.’ Then it was like, ‘I know I can make it. Just kind of stay in it. Trust what you're doing.’”

The putt fell. Six holes and four birdies later, he had the lowest score, in relation to par, of his career.

“I just wanted to get more looks,” he said. “More looks and more chances. And I just kind of went crazy with it.”