WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. – Stuart Appleby felt opportunity, not nerves, as he started running out of real estate in the chase for golf's magic number 59.
The Australian birdied the final three holes with putts of 15 feet or less Sunday to become the fifth PGA Tour player to reach the low-round record and win the Greenbrier Classic by a shot.
He also broke a four-year winless drought, when third-round leader Jeff Overton narrowly missed a long birdie try on the par-3 18th that would have forced a playoff.
"I was quite comfortable," Appleby said. "It's not a nerve-racking thing to be involved in. I had a lot of opportunities and I made them. It was great to do that to win the tournament."
Appleby's 11-under round on the Old White course put him at 22 under. Overton, playing three groups behind Appleby, shot 67 to finish at 21 under.
"I did the math. I was chasing Jeff, who was heading toward the finish line," Appleby said. "At the same time I was playing well and I thought if I could keep making birdies ... I knew I was going to run out of holes. There was plenty of (birdie chances) coming in."
Appleby's round came less than a month after Paul Goydos shot a 59 at the John Deere Classic.
The others to shoot 59 were Al Geiberger at the 1977 Memphis Classic, Chip Beck at the 1991 Las Vegas Invitational and David Duval at the 1999 Bob Hope Classic.
Appleby had nine birdies and an eagle in his round to earn the $1.08 million winner's check.
