Jordan Spieth completes rare golfing achievement during day one of the Cognizant Classic at PGA National

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It was a day of low scoring on day one of the Cognizant Classic as Jake Knapp became the 15th player to shoot 59 on the PGA Tour.

The field picked apart PGA National, usually one of the Tour’s toughest sets-ups, and Billy Horschel was critical of the course’s condition. “It is a little disappointing that, I’d say the condition of the course is very scorable,” Horschel said.

Golf fans were also critical of PGA National, and it’s clear tournament organisers must toughen up the course heading into round two.

Jordan Spieth was another player who took advantage of the kind of conditions.

Jordan Spieth’s rare golfing achievement at PGA National

Starting on the 10th, Spieth picked up shots on 13, 15, 16 and 17 before making par on the par-five finishing hole.

The three-time major winner then made birdies on three and four before closing his round out with a three on the par-four ninth.

At six under, Spieth is six shots back of Knapp and tied for 11th with six other players. Interestingly, the American’s flurry of back-nine birdies saw him join an exclusive club on the PGA Tour.

After he birdied every hole on the infamous Bear Trap, Spieth became only the 14th golfer to achieve such a feat in a single round. PGA National’s Bear Trap runs from holes 15-17 and is notoriously one of the most challenging stretches on the Tour.

• READ MORE: What one PGA Tour player privately said about Jordan Spieth not being invited to play in the Arnold Palmer Invitational this year

Complaints roll in on free-scoring day at PGA National

It wasn’t just Horschel who was critical of the course after Thursday’s round. Joel Dahmen claimed the course was completely different, and Michael Kim, who shot six under, highlighted the changes he’d noticed.

“Big rye overseed and no wind make this course much easier, but did not think I’d be six shots back after a 65,” Kim wrote on X.

Typically, a score around ten under is enough to compete at the Cognizant Classic. The previous two iterations have been high scoring, but before that, PGA National has proven a test.

Sepp Straka won at ten under in 2022, Matt Jones at 12 under in 2021 and Sungjae Im at six under in 2020.