Brad McIntosh was the man close to 20 years ago at the Von Nida Tour’s Queensland PGA at Emerald Lakes. McKinney’s score marking the first sub-60 score on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia in its current form.

What makes the score all the more remarkable is that McKinney made the turn in a modest 2-under on the par-70 Warragul Country Club layout, before playing his final nine holes in 9-under, or 26 shots.

This nine-hole score is almost certainly the lowest in Australia, and has a place as one of the lowest tournament nine holes globally too.

Many have come close to the elusive 59 on PGA Tour of Australasia, including Paul Gow (2001 Canon Challenge), Ernie Els (2004 Heineken Classic), Alistair Presnell (2010 Victorian PGA) and Lawry Flynn (Webex Players Series Sydney 2022), but none have been able to wipe that final shot off the card.

After a 1-under 69 in round one, McKinney was 3-under after 27 holes and sitting right on the cutline at the halfway mark of the Gippsland Super 6, something he needn’t worry about now.

“Ten shots better today, slight improvement,” the Scottish-born Perth local joked.

“To match it altogether today and finish like I did, yeah, I’m pretty stoked with that.”

His second nine consisted of seven birdies and an eagle, which came on his final hole, McKinney admitting it took him a little while to realise he had a chance at breaking 60.

“The ninth I hit driver just all over the pin and I saw it finish 12 feet away and I was like, ‘Oh wait, this is for 59’. So, I tried to just calm myself a bit and just rolled it straight in,” he said.

Prior to the ninth, McKinney was finding the cup from anywhere, except on the second where he left a birdie putt short. Incredible to think it could have been even lower.

“I made a good putt on one, a good sort of tricky putt. Parred two. A nice 10-footer on three, two putts and four, another one on five,” he recalled.

“My bunker shot on six nearly went in. It was pretty unlucky not to. That’s all right, I won’t complain.

“Seven hit it close. Eight, I actually holed a bunker shot, it looked like it was never missing”.

McKinney’s unbelievable second round rockets him up to fourth on the leaderboard at 12-under, five back of leader Ben Henkel, who is having a week to remember himself with scores of 62-61 to start his week in Warragul.