Stanford Golfer Meets Tiger & Promptly Shoots a 59
Stanford Golfer Viraat Badhwar Shoots 59 After Meeting Tiger, image: golfdigest.com
Apparently a meeting with Tiger Woods can be a seriously effective good luck charm. Just ask Viraat Badhwar; this sophomore member of the Stanford men’s collegiate golf team – had the opportunity to meet Tiger Woods last Saturday when the professional golfer stopped by his alma mater to induct his former teammate Notah Begay III into Stanford University’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
After Saturday’s once-in-a-lifetime meeting with the living legend, Badhwar went on Sunday to break the Stanford Golf Course record by shooting a 59 – two strokes better than the previous record that Badhwar actually shared with another golfer, Mariah Stackhouse. The Stanford Golf Course isn’t just some walk in the park, either. With a course rating of 73.8 and a slope of 138, it may be safe to say that Viraat Badhwar will be firmly holding the course record for the foreseeable future.
Badhwar was still understandably thrilled by his weekend ride when he spoke with Golfweek after Sunday’s round. “My first 59, it was a pretty cool experience. I just kind of got on a roll.” Badhwar went on to talk about his first meeting with Tiger Woods. “It was a dream come true [ . . . ] because I’ve looked up to him since I was 7 years old.”
Badhwar’s weekend performance is sure to be the envy of many golfers for some time to come. His record-breaking round was something that even the Nike sponsored current holder (Tiger Woods) of 14 major titles never did during his time as a Cardinal.
Speaking of Tiger Woods and his Stanford connection, his alma mater doesn’t seem to be letting him down this season. The Cardinals are currently ranked #3 in the current GCAA Coaches Poll.
