Philip Barbaree Jr. just added another highlight to his already impressive summer.
The 25-year-old fired a 13-under 59 Saturday at the Commissionaires Ottawa Open, marking just the second sub-60 round in PGA Tour Americas history. This comes about a month after he qualified for the U.S. Open and finished 66th at Oakmont.
Barbaree’s historic round at Eagle Creek Golf Club included 11 birdies and an eagle. He saved his best for last, closing with a birdie-birdie-eagle finish. On the par-5 18th, he hit a stellar approach from the rough to just a few feet and calmly rolled in the putt to secure his place in the record books.
The 59 vaulted Barbaree to 20 under for the tournament, good enough for the clubhouse lead heading into Sunday’s final round.
Before the merger of PGA Tour Canada and PGA Tour Latinoamerica, only three players had broken 60 in those circuits:
- Jason Bohn (58) in 2001 on the Canadian Tour
- Greyson Sigg (59) in 2019 on PGA Tour Canada
- Drew Nesbitt (59) in 2018 on PGA Tour Latinoamerica
Harry Hillier also posted a 59 last year on the Americas tour.
This breakthrough performance couldn’t come at a better time for Barbaree, who entered the week 35th in the Fortinet Cup standings. With seven tournaments remaining in the season, he’s looking to crack the top 10 in points, which would earn him a Korn Ferry Tour card for next season.
