The five best rounds on the PGA Tour in 2013

5. Martin Laird’s 63 on Sunday at the Valero Texas Open — You know those days where everything clicks, and the golf swing, and putting stroke, seem effortless? That was Martin Laird on Sunday at TPC San Antonio, carding a final round 63 that included nine birdies, nine pars and a round that propelled him to his third PGA Tour win.

It was a great round for a number of reasons, but without this close by Laird we would have seen Rory McIlroy raise a trophy in ’13.

4. Phil Mickelson’s 60 on Thursday at the Waste Management — If there was ever a shot that proved just how cruel golf can be, it might be this putt Phil Mickelson had on the final hole at the Waste Management on Thursday. Looking over a birdie putt to post 59, the ball did everything but go in, curling around the cup and leaving the crowd, Bones and Phil all confused at how exactly it missed.

Mickelson was 7-under on his front nine, made the turn and continued his run, getting to 11-under with two holes to play but failed to convert birdies over his final two holes. Still, it tied for the second lowest round of the season on the PGA Tour and as we called it when it happened, was more of a 59.5 than a 60.

Mickelson, of course, went on to win this event by four shots over Brandt Snedeker.

3. Jim Furyk’s 59 on Friday at the BMW Championship — It’s crazy to think that just the sixth man to ever fire a sub-60 round on the PGA Tour would be the third best round of 2013, but closing out a tournament, or posting a round that wraps up a major championship, trumps going super low earlier in the week if you fail to win.

Furyk’s 59 was amazing, wrapped up by one of our shots of the year, but he couldn’t go on to win at the BMW Championship, meaning it will be a great round lost to a poor rest of the week. Still, his round on Friday at Conway Farms was the lowest round on the course by six shots!

2. Jason Dufner’s 63 on Friday at the PGA Championship — It was one of the better rounds of golf you will ever see, no matter the situation or the golf tournament. Dufner’s 63 on Friday broke the Oak Hill course record, and the amazing thing was he had a pretty good look on the 18th green to post the first ever 62 in a major championship, but couldn’t get the ball to the hole and had to settle for joining a growing list of pros that have shot 63 at a major.

Dufner went on to win his first ever major championship on Sunday at the PGA, and he can look back at this second round as the reason he was able to pull that off.

1. Phil Mickelson’s 66 on Sunday at the British Open — It was one of those “rounds for the ages” on the final day of a major, the one you always think might happen but hardly ever see.

Phil Mickelson was five shots back heading into the final round with names like Lee Westwood, Hunter Mahan, Adam Scott and Tiger Woods ahead of him on the leaderboard, but that didn’t stop Mickelson from putting together one of the greatest closing stretches we have ever seen at a major championship.

Mickelson birdied four of his last six holes, adding circles on both the 17th and 18th to all but wrap up his first ever Claret Jug, and he did both with incredible golf shots like that three-wood he hit on the 71st hole.

It was a near flawless final round considering the golf course and conditions, and it forced Phil to pull off every shot he had in his bag, which he did to perfection.

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