Perfect round

Perfect Round is a term used to define a round of eighteen holes of golf where all holes were played at one under par (birdie on every hole) resulting in a score of 54 on a par 72 course. Since a score of 18 is the lowest score that could theoretically be obtained, perfect round is an incorrect term for the score of 54. 54, however, is the lowest score generally accepted as being in the realm of possibility among professional golfers on a par 72 course. This has remained the standard and has never been achieved by a professional golfer in a professional event.

Lowest scores in professional golf

The lowest score ever recorded in professional competition is 59 by:
* Gary Player in the 1974 Brazilian Open
* Al Geiberger in the 1977 Danny Thomas Memphis Classic
* Chip Beck in the 1991 Las Vegas Invitational
* David Duval in the 1999 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic
* Annika Sörenstam in the 2001 Standard Register PING
* Adrien Mörk in the 2006 Tikida Hotels Agadir Moroccan Classic on the European Challenge Tour

Shigeki Maruyama shot a 58 in a U.S. Open qualifying round in 2000, but the score is not recognized as a PGA Tour record because it occurred in a qualifying round rather than in a tour-sanctioned tournament. [http://www.golftoday.co.uk/news/yeartodate/news00/maruyama58.html]

Comments and Quotes About Achieving the Perfect Round

Annika Sörenstam has commented on many occasions about her desire to shoot the perfect round saying,
“I believe I can hit 18 greens, hit every fairway, you know — Vision 54, which means you birdie every hole, that’s in the back of my mind. I want to putt better, chip better. That day when I hit 18 greens and one putt, I’ll know I’m a complete golfer. Will that ever happen? I’m not sure, but it’s possible. The 54 vision is always in the back of my mind.”
In another interview she said,
"How do you shoot a 54? Hit one fairway. Hit one green. Make one putt. Do that 18 times and you have achieved golf perfection." She even has a knitted blue and yellow head cover in her bag with the number 54 on it.

Cecilia Ekelundh, of the Ladies European Tour keeps the perfect round on her mind by drawing a 54 on the ball she plays in competition.
“There is no reason why you can’t birdie every hole,” Ekelundh says. "I got the idea when Swedish speed skater Thomas Gustafson came and spoke at one of our national team days. He said he wrote his ultimate lap time on his shoe so that every time he put his shoes on he visualised making that time. Now every time I pick up a ball I have that vision."

There is an emerging philosophy among top rated golf schools popularized by Pia Nilsson's Vision 54 that concentrates on achieving the perfect round. The basic ideology being that striving for perfection results in better scores even if the goal is not met.

References

* [http://www.lpga.com/content_1.aspx?mid=4&pid=78 Annika's 54 Philosophy at LPGA.com]
* [http://www.ladieseuropeantour.com/content/let_content_interview.php?Id=4442 Cecilia Ekelundh's 54 dreams on the European Tour]