Tiger Woods had one of his records threatened on Sunday from an unlikely source.
It happened on the European tour, as a South African named Yurav Premlall won the Catalunya Championship in Barcelona by an incredible 14 shots — one off Woods’ mark from the 2000 U.S. Open, which remains the milestone.
Still, no one would have predicted Premlall, ranked 598th, would come so close.
The 22-year-old never won on the tour before he made 10 birdies during a 9-under par 63 on Sunday to complete his 28-under showing for the tournament and earn $467,500 in prize money.
Premlall showed no signs of his breakout prior to this weekend, as he’d missed the cut in four of his eight tournament appearances this season and had not even finished in the top-30.
“I can’t give myself enough credit today, and I’m not really a person to say that,” Premlall said. “It was probably the most complete performance I’ve ever put through.”
And it was enough to put him 15 shots clear of his closest competitor, fellow South African Shaun Norris.
Despite Premlall’s feat, it did not eclipse Woods’ showing at Pebble Beach 26 years ago, which still stands as the largest margin of victory on the PGA and DP World Tours.
