O’Connell’s round of 59 shot in 1975 remains lowest score ever posted on any Westview layout

QUINCY — Alex McCulla knew his record-setting round needed to be signed for and verified.

So after his foursome that included former Quincy Notre Dame golf teammates Jack Leffers, David Hutson and Luke Siebers completed their round Thursday afternoon, they went to the clubhouse so there’d be witnesses.

McCulla, the reigning Quincy men’s city champion who is heading into his senior season at Illinois State University, shot an 11-under 60 to break the course record by one stroke. Luke Guthrie and the late Ryan Buxman shared the record at 10-under 61.

Still, it’s not the lowest round ever posted on the Westview track.

That honor belongs to Mike O’Connell, who shot an 11-under 59 at Westview in 1975.

The course was redesigned in 1999 by Golf Resources, the Dallas-based company co-owned by Quincy native D.A. Weibring. The redesign added some length to the course, changed the angle of some tee boxes and altered the landscape.

So McCulla’s mark is considered the modern day record.

O’Connell owns the old-school standard when the course played to a par 70.

An eight-time Quincy men’s city champion and one of the most decorated amateur golfers this region has ever seen, O’Connell left his mark at Westview with a round that included a 28 on the front nine and a 31 on the back. He was playing with Jerry Brennan, who shot a 71, and Marv Pruitt, who posted a 76.

He broke the record of 8-under 63 set by Jay Haas, the Belleville, Ill., golfer who became an NCAA champion and later won nine times on the PGA Tour.

O’Connell’s round featured 13 3s and five 4s on his scorecard.

At the time, O’Connell had won five of his eight city championships and no professional golfer had ever shot better than 60 in an event. The first PGA Tour member to shoot 59 was Al Geiberger, who posted a 13-under 59 during the Memphis Classic in 1977.

O’Connell’s feat was written about in both Golf Digest and Golf Magazine.