Bochum – It’s hard to get in contact with Hinrich Arkenau by phone. It was only at our fourth attempt that the 27-year-old finally answered his mobile. “It’s so cool how fast the news of my result is spreading”, Arkenau laughs, “I just wanted to get my mobile to take a photo of the scorecard, and as I turned it on, I already had 80 new messages.”

But the number 59 deserves a congratulatory message: Hinrich Arkenau in fact joins an elite circle of players, as only 13 professionals worldwide have so far managed to score a 59 on a par-72 course. So Hinrich Arkenau is now number 14. He is also the second German with this score after Martin Kaymer, who reached it in 2006 at the Habsberg Classic. And the third in this history of the Pro Golf Tour: in 2015, Robin Kind from the Netherlands scored a 59, also in Bochum.

Arkenau was not excited during the golf round: “You just play on and try to do your best for every hole. I was pleased about every birdie, but I didn’t think about the 59 at all. It’s always a possibility, but it never seems that close. Until the last putt went into the whole, I hadn’t even considered a 59.” Only in hindsight did his knees start to shake: “It takes a while to get your head around this kind of result. But it’s a great feeling! The 59 feels like a tournament victory, it can never be taken away from you. And I will always be proud of it”, the North German says.

The round was an excellent one for Arkenau, in the end not a single bogey was to be found on his scorecard, but five pars and an incredible 13 birdies. “The fellow players thought it was like playing golf on the PlayStation. The approach shots were all close to the flag and the putts also went into the hole”, Arkenau explains.

The dream round in Bochum places Arkenau first on the leader board, but for the professional living in Bremen something else is even more important: “My mother turns 60 today, and unfortunately I can’t be there with her. At least I have given her a nice present.”