When Matt Wallace launched his assault on the back nine at Jumeirah Golf Estates little did he know that DP World Tour Championship history was there for the taking.
The Englishman, who only just qualified for the season-ending event in Dubai, wielded a scorching putter that he used to drill in one birdie after another.
When he arrived at the 18th tee, after reeling in eight consecutive birdies, Wallace needed an eagle to become only the second man in the history of the DP World Tour Championship to break the 60 barrier for one round.
But he did not know that.
Wallace hit his second shot into a yawning bunker but almost holed his stunning next shot out of the sand as his ball floated in the air and landed just two feet from the pin.
Had it rolled in he would have equalled Englishman Oliver Fisher’s piece of folklore when he shot the first-ever 59 on the DP World Tour.
After he soaked in his brush with destiny, and a place in the history books, Wallace admitted: “At the end, I didn’t even think there was a 59. Honestly, I think it helped me a little bit. I just played nicely coming down the stretch, just kept getting one more if I could and I managed to do that.
“Kind of gutted now actually a little bit. Great opportunity to do it. I’ve done it at Moorpark on the West Course which is only a par 68, but to do it out here would have been really special today.
“Ball in hand helps. I had a couple of good lies for up-and-down, but it was fantastic and a good effort for 59,” he said.
Wallace’s spectacular nine birdies in a row, which followed the three he putted for on the front nine, matched the DP World Tours bests.
“What a day, an amazing day,” he said. “I just tried my hardest to get myself back into the tournament. I’m really happy that I’ve been able to do that.
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“Then the last, the miss is right obviously with the water on the left. But I had a good enough chance to try to feed it into that pin but hit it a bit too high and the wind got it, a really nice up-and-down.
“I have been practising those high, soft bunker shots for a while now. That was really nice.”
Wallace’s nine consecutive birdies equal the European tour record claimed by James Nitties of Australia in the 2019 Vic Open and Bernd Wiesberger in the 2017 Maybank Championship in Malaysia.
Wallace also tied the tour record with 12 birdies in one round, which was last accomplished by Raphaël Jacquelin at the 2013 Turkish Open