Back-to-Back 64's, was More Than Enough

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Alex Miceli | Last updated Mar 2, 2025 9:01 PM ET

It’s not often that a player makes the cut on the number and then two days later, grasps the trophy.

Shooting consecutive 64’s, Joe Highsmith, a 24-year-old from Pepperdine University, captured the Cognizant Classic.

“That was the last thing I expected at the start of the day, was a win,” Highsmith said after his first win on the PGA Tour. “I feel like once I made it on the number, I knew I was going to go out early on Saturday and that was going to be a good chance because the scores just get so much harder as the day goes on.”

Highsmith did benefit from the early round on Saturday, when he was eight shots behind Jake Knapp. However, he started Sunday’s final round four shots behind Knapp in similar conditions.

Highsmith outlined the conditions as baked, crusty, and windy, making the course harder than when Knapp shot 59 on Thursday.

“I never really try to think about winning, all that stuff is just kind of a little abstract,” Highsmith said. “You're just trying to hit one good shot at a time. I had seen a couple boards out there and you get that feeling when you're playing well that maybe you do have a chance to win. As long as you don't mess it up, then you'll end up on top.”

Now, Highsmith will be in next week's Arnold Palmer Invitational, The Players, the Masters, and almost every other tournament he has dreamed about, but he doesn’t have a pathway to get in.

“Augusta National is a place that has a really special place in my heart,” Highsmith said. “I've only been there a couple times as a spectator and I was able to play, fortunately, with a couple members last year. I mean, it is just like the most incredible place on earth.”

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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