Van Pelt 59 bid falls short on last hole at CIMB Classic in Malaysia

Defending champion Bo Van Pelt flirted with a magical round of 59 on Saturday before double-bogeying the last hole at the CIMB Classic in Malaysia. The American was 11 under par through 17 holes at the par-71 Mines Resort and Golf Club, meaning he needed his 12th birdie of the day on the final hole to claim the rare score. But Van Pelt, defending a title for the first time, found sand in front of packed galleries on the 18th and three-putted to finish his round on 62 -- enough for a three-shot lead as play continued. Tiger Woods, who had earlier predicted that a 59 was possible this week, was three under par through 16 holes to lie six shots back from the leader. Stuart Appleby shot the last 59 on the PGA Tour at the 2010 Greenbrier Classic, while two players have shot 12-under-par 60s on the Asian Tour -- Lee Westwood and China's Liang Wenchong. However, Van Pelt's score would not have counted among PGA Tour records because the CIMB Classic is not a full-status event on the American circuit. It would not have made Asian Tour statistics either because the round was being played with the "preferred lie" rule, meaning players can pick up and move their balls when they land in difficult positions.