Best of 2018: Top rounds

Snedeker became the first player in PGA Tour history to shoot 59 after starting his round with a bogey. Snedeker quickly rebounded to shoot 11 under, capping his sub-60 round – the ninth in Tour history – with a 20-foot birdie make on his final hole.

This one could arguably be the round of the year. Woods’ 6-under 64 that Sunday at Bellerive was the lowest final round of his major career. It also nearly won him the tournament. Woods made four birdies on the front nine despite not hitting a fairway and pulled to within a shot of the lead. He was again just a shot back after birdies on Nos. 12 and 13, but he just couldn’t quite catch Koepka. “You could hear the roars from different parts of the golf course,” Justin Thomas said.

Prior to the final round at Shinnecock Hills, Fleetwood told his caddie, Ian Finnis, that he was going to “break Johnny Miller’s record.” He ended up tying Miller, missing an 8-footer on the final hole and settling for a 7-under 63. Fleetwood made five putts from outside of 17 feet, including a 60-footer at the par-3 second hole.

Woods opened the third FedEx Cup playoff event with an 8-under 62 that included seven birdies and an eagle. It was his lowest opening round on the PGA Tour in nine years, though it only gave him a share of the lead as Rory McIlroy also shot 62.

Fisher made 10 birdies and an eagle to shoot 12-under 59, the first sub-60 score in European Tour history. Fisher could’ve shot 58, but he missed a 40-footer for birdie on his final hole.

Having already had to answer questions about his putting struggles, Spieth looked like his old self that Sunday at Augusta National, shooting 8-under 64 and putting together a back-nine charge that included long birdie makes at Nos. 12 and 16. A missed eagle putt at No. 13 and a bogey at the last, though, left him two shots shy of Reed.

Nesbitt fired the first 59 in PGA Tour Latinoamerica history, a day after Oliver Fisher shot the number on the European Tour. Nesbitt made four eagles, including three on one nine. One of those was a hole-in-one at the par-3 second hole. His 12-under 59 also included five birdies and a bogey.

While Tiger Woods faltered Sunday at Arnie’s Place, McIlroy did not. He posted a 5-under 31 on the back nine, chipping in at No. 15 and holing a 25-footer at Bay Hill’s 18th, to shoot 8-under 64 and force a playoff, which he went on to win against Kevin Chappell.

Stone made eight birdies and an eagle to shoot 10-under 60, and while he missed a birdie putt on the final hole for 59, he was able to earn an invitation to The Open.

Johnson used his closing 8-under 65 to post an eight-shot victory in the year’s opening event at Kapalua. The highlight of the round was an eagle at the par-4 12th after Johnson hit a 433-yard drive to tap-in range.

Thomas may have shot 62 in the third round, but his closing 7-under 64 was better considering how he finished it. From 121 yards out, Thomas holed his second shot for eagle at Chapultepec Golf Club’s 18th hole.

While the Sunday scene at East Lake was unforgettable as Woods won for the first time in more than five years, his third-round, 5-under 65 gave him a three-shot cushion entering that final day. Woods, who also shot 65 in the first round, made nine 3’s on his third-round card, including five straight to begin his round as he played his first seven holes in 6 under.

Molinari put on a ballstriking clinic that Sunday at TPC Potomac, hitting all 18 of his greens in regulation. (He hit a career-high 62 for the week.) His 8-under 62, which included a 50-foot make for eagle at No. 10, gave him an eight-shot victory.

Not known for his putting, Casey needed just 21 putts in the final round at Innisbrook’s Copperhead Course as he made seven birdies and then closed in five pars to hold off Tiger Woods and Patrick Reed by a shot.

Two days after Webb Simpson tied the tournament scoring record – and four days after Koepka re-injured his wrist in a freak range accident – Koepka shot 9-under 63 in the final round at TPC Sawgrass. His round was easily highlighted by an albatross from 208 yards with a 6-iron at the par-5 16th hole. Koepka went on to shoot 63 twice more in his next start at the Fort Worth Invitational.

Woodland birdied three of his final three holes to shoot 7-under 64 and force a playoff, which he won over Chez Reavie with a par at TPC Scottsdale’s par-4 18th hole.

While Simpson became just the seventh player to shoot 63 at The Players, it could’ve been better. He was 11 under through 16 holes before making double bogey at the par-3 17th at TPC Sawgrass’ Stadium Course. Just two holes prior to that he had made his sixth straight birdie, at the par-4 15th.

Yes, Charl Schwartzel also equaled Koepka’s 7-under 63 in the second round at Bellerive, but Koepka’s card was bogey-free and helped him eventually win the tournament.

In the first ever PGA Tour round at Trinity Forest, Leishman made two eagles, including one on his opening hole, and went on to shoot 10-under 61.

Reed made nine birdies and three times rattled off three straight. His 6-under 66 moved him into the lead, one that he held onto by Sunday evening.

After shooting 62 in the opening round at Colonial, Na was one better in the final round, carding a 9-under 61 to set the course record. “Felt like it was Groundhog Day,” said Na, who made nine birdies and kept a bogey-free card. Surprisingly, though, Na didn’t win the event.

“It’s probably one of the best rounds I’ve ever had,” said Mullinax, who shot 7-under 29 on the back nine – with a bogey. He chipped in twice on the back, for eagle at No. 14 on the AT&T Oaks Course at TPC San Antonio and for birdie at No. 16. He added a closing eagle to set a new course record, 10-under 62.

DeChambeau had a second straight spectacular third round, this time on a Sunday at TPC Boston, where he shot 8-under 63 alongside Tiger Woods to help set up another playoff win. DeChambeau played his last three holes in 4 under that day, capping his third round with a tap-in eagle.

Hahn made nine birdies, including seven in an eight-hole stretch, to shoot 8-under 62 and get into a playoff with Patton Kizzire. He didn’t win, but Hahn did last six extra holes.

En route to his first of two straight FedEx Cup playoff victories, DeChambeay fired a third-round, 8-under 63 that gave him a four-shot lead entering the final day. DeChambeau made nine birdies and made a huge statement after recently not earning an automatic Ryder Cup selection.

Johnson made four of his six birdies and an eagle as part of a back-nine, 6-under 29 as he grabbed the lead with a 7-under 63 in the second round at TPC Southwind. Johnson’s lowest round of the season spurred him on to win two days later.

Competing in just his fifth PGA Tour event as a pro, the 19-year-old, the youngest in the field at Muirfield Village, grabbed a share of the first-round lead with an opening 7-under 65. While Niemann carded eight birdies, most impressive was the fact that he made all 16 of his putts from inside of 10 feet.

After withdrawing from the pro-am two days earlier because of back pain, Day made eight birdies and fired a bogey-free, 8-under 64 on Torrey Pines’ North Course.

What made Pepperell’s 4-under 67 – the round of the day at Carnoustie – even better? “I was a little hungover, I won’t lie,” Pepperell said.

While Yokomine couldn’t quite catch Annie Park for the win, she tied the course record of 10-under 61. She needed an eagle at the par-5 18th to shoot 59, but made par.

Jutanugarn made eight birdies and an eagle to shoot 10-under 62, her lowest career round on the LPGA.