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26 days until golf: Pavin goes on birdie binge to break Tour record

Ian Walton / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The PGA Tour plans to restart its season June 11 after halting due to the coronavirus pandemic. Each day until then, we'll highlight key moments, people, or facts relating to where we are in the countdown.

The first thing that comes to mind when hearing the name Corey Pavin is his incredible 4-wood on the 72nd hole to win the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills in 1995. It's one of the more remarkable shots on the final hole of a major in golf history, and it cemented Pavin's place in history.

While that win is certainly the crowning achievement of his illustrious career, Pavin quietly possesses one of the most impressive records in golf history - shooting a sparkling 26 on nine holes in a Tour event.

The scene was the U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee in 2006, an event Pavin had won 20 years prior in 1986 when it was the Greater Milwaukee Open. The California native entered without a top-10 finish on the season and had missed two of his last three cuts, so his red-hot showing certainly wasn't expected.

Pavin wasted no time heating up, rolling in six straight birdies to begin his round before two-putting for par on the par-3 seventh hole. He would get right back on track, pouring in a 15-footer for birdie on No. 8 and drilling a 9-footer on the final hole of the front side to post an 8-under 26.

While Pavin would only shoot 1-under on the back nine, he posted a sizzling 61 and went on to win the tournament by two strokes over Jerry Kelly. It would end up being the last of his 15 PGA Tour wins.

Pavin's impressive showing on the opening nine holes didn't just shock the rest of the golfing world, as the 5-foot-9, 155-pounder nicknamed "Bulldog" admitted he surprised himself with the showing.

"It seemed like a misprint up there, maybe," Pavin told The Associated Press after the round. "It was just one of those nine holes, once in a lifetime for me so far, anyway."

While Pavin's mark of 8-under has been beaten by five golfers, most recently Ryan Palmer in 2015, his total score of 26 remains unbeaten on the PGA Tour.

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