Peter Malnati has tied history – and almost made it.
The American shot 9-under-par 61 through the first 18 holes of the 2026 Rocket Classic at Detroit Golf Club on Thursday, July 30, tying the record set just last year by Jake Knapp in the second round of the 2025 Rocket Classic.
Malnati came out red hot and had a legitimate shot to become the 17th golfer in PGA Tour history to shoot a 59 and second to do so in 2026, after Michael Kim shot a 12-under last week in the second round of the 3M Open on July 24.
Malnati birdied seven holes on the front nine to put him on a historic watch and continued on the pace, birdying the 11th and 13th holes to begin his trip on the back
nine.
However, the Indiana native who has two PGA Tour wins in his pro career cooled off over the final few holes with the putter, despite his approach play staying red-hot. Malnati gave himself good looks, but failed to make a birdie over the final five holes.
He tapped in on the 18th hole to tie the course record.
The Detroit Golf Club recently underwent a $16.1 million renovation in part to make the course more difficult, as the Rocket has earned a reputation for being one of the easiest tournaments on the Tour. The Rocket's 18 holes have also gone from 72-under-par to 70-under, theoretically making it more difficult to play record-setting rounds.
It didn't take long for Malnati to prove those efforts otherwise, however.
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You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Peter Malnati ties course record with 9-under-par 61 at Rocket Classic
