Drew Nesbitt responded to a tough stretch with a course-record 11-under 60 in the first round of the Memorial Health Championship at Panther Creek Country Club, taking a one-shot lead after an eagle and three birdies.
Thursday began with a question hanging over Drew Nesbitt’s Korn Ferry Tour season: how long could the thin margins keep going against him? After missing three of the past four cuts, the 31-year-old Canadian answered in the most dramatic way possible.
At Panther Creek Country Club in Springfield, Ill., Nesbitt tied a course record with an 11-under 60 in the first round of the Memorial Health Championship. His finish was built for momentum—an eagle and three birdies capped a round that left him grabbing a one-shot lead.
Nesbitt’s story has been one of near-misses and frustration. He comes into the week ranked 144th in the tour standings. with a best finish so far of a tie for 26th this season. Still. his comments after the round carried a tone of someone who understands how quickly things can swing in golf at this level.
“I don’t think I’ve played bad golf. but the margins at this level are so thin. ” Nesbitt said after his round. “You’ve got extremely good players that are wanting to go low and are hungry to get to the PGA Tour. It hasn’t been the best year results-wise for me. but I can only control what I have today and going forward.”.
That “going forward” matters, because the stakes on the Korn Ferry Tour are brutally clear. The top 20 at season’s end earn PGA Tour cards for next season, and Nesbitt is still chasing that window.
Last year, he did it once already—earning a Korn Ferry Tour card after a win in a playoff in the penultimate event of PGA Tour Americas in Victoria, which boosted him into the top 10 of the standings.
Now, in Springfield, he has given himself a fresh opening. With his course-record 60 sitting at the center of his comeback, the question shifts from whether he can break through to whether he can keep it together long enough to turn a perfect start into something bigger.
Drew Nesbitt Korn Ferry Tour Memorial Health Championship Panther Creek Country Club Springfield Ill. 60 course record PGA Tour card Victoria playoff