Kevin Chappell Blamed His Missed 58 on What!?!

Kevin Chappell, fondly known as “chappy” to a lot of players on tour, was sidelined for 10 months before he was able to play in the Korn Ferry Tour finals, and on the PGA TOUR this past weekend in the Greenbrier.

While he did say that the back surgery that he had was not as drastic as Tiger Woods’, having an injury to your back as bad as Chappy’s is always going to make you question your future in the game of golf, so it’s great that he’s found his way back on tour.

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What’s even greater is the amazing story that came out of this weekend.

Chappell came firing back on Friday with a round of 59, including 9 straight birdies. I can tell you one thing about my summer playing golf: it did not include 9 birdies.  At one point during the round he was 11 under with two to play.

When asked about it he said, “I told my caddie I wanted to shoot 57. I was trying to keep the mindset, keep the foot on the gas and attack.” You have to love that confidence.

Chappell had a 10 foot putt on 18 for 58, but missed it left and tapped in for a 59. The twist on this whole remarkable story? Chappell never reuses a ball that he gets a birdie with.

The only issue there is I bet you aren’t preparing to have 11 of them in one round, so he blamed having to re-use them on why he didn’t shoot lower.

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This is a great addition to an already fantastic story. Any time I get a birdie, there’s no way I’m tossing it. That ball has all the luck in the world to let me, a 16 handicapper, obtain a birdie.

Maybe Chappy’s “there’s only one birdie in every ball” theory is the reason why I always double the next hole after. Maybe by writing this article, I’ve shaved strokes off my game. But probably not.

Whether it was a 57, 58, or 59, that round that Kevin Chappell put together is a great comeback story, and it’s always great to see a Tour player overcome the injury bug and start the PGA TOUR season off with a bang.