No one saw 59 coming, not even the man who shot it

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Paul Goydos is congratulated by his caddie Chris Mazziotti after shooting a 59.

If golf's version of a perfect game is shooting 59, then why haven't there been more of them?

"That's a pretty interesting question," said Paul Goydos, who became just the fourth player in PGA TOUR history to reach golf's magical figure when he shot a 12-under 59 during Thursday's first round of the John Deere Classic. "It might be worth some of investigation."

This year alone, baseball has seen two perfect games. In all, there have been 20 perfect games dating back to 1876. Meanwhile, Goydos is the first to shoot 59 on TOUR since David Duval more than a decade ago -- and he couldn't even begin to tell you why he did.

"I think there's a little bit of a psychological barrier," Goydos said. "Golf is hard for everybody. To me, it came upon me quick. I don't have any idea [how I did it].

"You would be hard-pressed to say anyone sees this type of round coming."

More on Goydos' 59

WATCH THE FINAL PUTT: Paul Goydos drains a 7-footer on 18th green to secure his place in PGA TOUR history. Click here LISTEN TO THE CALL: The PGA TOUR Network's Bob Stevens calls the final birdie putt. Goydos also discusses his round with Stevens. Click here HIGHLIGHTS: PGATOUR.COM's On The Tee crew has all the highlights and analysis on the 59. Click here NEWS STORY: Want to know more about Goydos' rare round on Thursday? Click here THE 59 CLUB: Who are the four players who've shot a 59 on the PGA TOUR? How did they do it? Click here BY THE NUMBERS: Goydos achieved several career bests, according to ShotLink. Click here TRANSCRIPT: Goydos discusses his 59 during his post-round interview with the media. Click here LIVE REPORT: Every news and note about Goydos during Thursday's round. Click here BIRDIE BREAKDOWN: A detailed look at each of the 12 birdies in Goydos' round. Click here SCORECARD: Check out what a 59 looks like. Click here SHOT TRACKER: All the details on Goydos' 59. Click here PHOTO GALLERY: Images from Thursday's PGA TOUR record-tying round. Click here ROUND 1 WRAP-UP: Paul Goydos took the first-round lead at TPC Deere Run, but several others are close to the top. Click here VIEW THE CARD: Paul Goydos' official scorecard from Round 1 of the John Deere Classic. Click here

Especially Goydos, at least based on his recent results: Three missed cuts and a withdrawal in his last five tournaments; one top-10 all season; and an 81 in the final round of THE PLAYERS Championship that featured a six-putt on one hole.

But to look at the score you have to look deeper than the scores. You have to look at the man. There's a reason they call Goydos "Sunshine" on TOUR. His sense of humor is legendary.

Of his swing coach Jaime Mulligan, who also teaches John Merrick, John Mallinger and John Cook, Goydos said "he likes the Johns."

When a member of his home club Virginia Country Club in Long Beach said it looked like he'd lost weight, Goydos quipped that television adds 10 pounds.

Asked how he'd sleep while holding the overnight lead at one particular tournament, Goydos deadpanned, "On my back."

It's no wonder Goydos' favorite movie is "Monty Python and the Holy Grail."

When you're trying to shoot 59, you'd expect it to come from one of the top players in the world, like in 1999 with Duval -- the future No. 1 -- at the 1999 Bob Hope Classic.

But it also apparently helps to have the droll wit of a substitute teacher, which is what Goydos was when he got his first professional victory on the Nationwide Tour in 1992.

Goydos is more Al Geiberger or Chip Beck -- the other two members of the 59 club -- than he is Duval, which is to see he's always been affable inside the ropes and outside them, popular among peers and regular people.

He's needed that sense of humor to get him through some tough times -- whether it was to deal with the death of his ex-wife in 2009, or to recover from a stunning loss at the 2008 THE PLAYERS Championship, where he hit in the water on No. 17 during a playoff with Sergio Garcia.

He also used it Thursday not to shy away from what would be a taboo topic in baseball, but rather embrace it. Goydos routinely cracked jokes and told stories with his two playing partners, Jonathan Byrd and Cliff Kresge.

"I tend to talk a little bit," Goydos said. "That's kind of my personality."

That's like saying Jerry Seinfeld likes to tell jokes a little bit.

Nevertheless, Goydos did his best to try to explain why this round happened.

"They talk about being in the zone," Goydos said. "My game just got better and better as the day went on. I think part of it was my subconscious and I kind of got on autopilot a little bit and stayed out of my own way. It wasn't a conscious effort to stay out of my own way. I just kind of did.

"All the bad bounces and all the buried balls and bunkers and three-putts or whatever that happened the last three-and-a-half months kind of got evened out today."

Eventually, though, Goydos was left speechless, which is a rare achievement in itself.

"People ask me how or why, and I really don't have an answer to that," Goydos said. "There's something going on there that's maybe a little unexplainable."