Perfect Round is a term used to define a round of eighteen holes of golf

Golf

Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....

 where all holes were played at one under par

Par (score)

The word "par" is a term in the game of golf used to denote the pre-determined number of strokes that a scratch golfer should require to complete a hole, a round , or a tournament...

 (birdie on every hole) resulting in a score of 54 on a par 72 course, 53 on a par 71 course, 52 on a par 70 course, and 55 on a par 73 course. Since a score of 18 is the lowest score that could theoretically be obtained, perfect round is an incorrect term for the score of 54 (or whatever 18 under par is). 54, however, is the lowest score generally accepted as being in the realm of possibility among professional golfers on a par 72 course. This has remained the standard and has never been achieved by a professional golfer in a professional event.

Lowest scores in professional golf

In official golf tournaments on major tours:

Player	Score	To par	Rnd	Finish	Year	Tour	Tournament	Ref
Ryo Ishikawa Ryo Ishikawa , also known by the nickname "Hanikami Ōji" , is a Japanese professional golfer.On 20 May 2007, Ishikawa became the youngest winner ever of a men's regular tournament on the Japan Golf Tour by winning the Munsingwear Open KSB Cup at the age 15 years and 8 months. He competed as an amateur and it...	58	-12	4/4	1	2010	Japan Golf Tour Japan Golf Tour The Japan Golf Tour is a prominent golf tour. It was founded in 1973 and as of 2006 it offers the third highest annual prize fund out of the regular men's professional tours after the PGA Tour and the European Tour. However since the early 1990s, the growth in prize money has not kept pace with...	The Crowns The Crowns is a golf tournament on the Japan Golf Tour. The official Japanese name of this competition is "".The tournament record is 260 . It was set by Masashi Ozaki in 1995. The tournament has been played at the Wago Course at the Nagoya Golf Club since the tournament's inception in 1960. The course...
Al Geiberger Al Geiberger Allen Lee Geiberger, Sr. is an American professional golfer who has won numerous golf tournaments.Geiberger was born in Red Bluff, California...	59	-13	2/4	1	1977	PGA Tour PGA Tour The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...	Danny Thomas Memphis Classic
Chip Beck	59	-13	3/5	T3	1991	PGA Tour PGA Tour The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...	Las Vegas Invitational
Notah Begay III Notah Begay III Notah Ryan Begay III is an American professional golfer. He is the only full-blooded American Indian golfer on the PGA Tour. He is currently an analyst with the Golf Channel.-Amateur career:...	59	-13	2/4	T6	1998	Nike Tour	Dominion Open
Doug Dunakey Doug Dunakey Doug Dunakey is a former American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour. He is known for shooting a 59 in the 1998 NIKE Miami Valley Open, becoming only the fourth player to shoot a 59 on a major tour...	59	-11	2/4	T2	1998	Nike Tour	Miami Valley Open Miami Valley Open The Miami Valley Open was a golf tournament on the Nationwide Tour. It ran from 1993 to 1998. It was played at Heatherwoode Golf Course in Springboro, Ohio.In 1995 the winner earned $40,500.-Winners:NIKE Miami Valley Open*1998 Craig Bowden...
David Duval David Duval David Robert Duval is an American professional golfer and former World No. 1 who competes on the PGA Tour.-Early years:...	59	-13	5/5	1	1999	PGA Tour PGA Tour The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...	Bob Hope Chrysler Classic Bob Hope Chrysler Classic The Bob Hope Classic is a professional golf tournament played each January in California's Coachella Valley. Part of the PGA Tour's early season West Coast Swing, this tournament is well known for its celebrity pro-am, as well as having five daily 18-hole rounds of competition vs. the Tour standard...
Annika Sörenstam Annika Sörenstam Annika Sörenstam is a Swedish-American professional golfer whose achievements rank her as one of the most successful golfers in history. Before stepping away from competitive golf at the end of the 2008 season, she won 90 international tournaments as a professional, making her the female golfer...	59	-13	2/4	1	2001	LPGA Tour LPGA The LPGA, in full the Ladies Professional Golf Association, is an American organization for female professional golfers. The organization, whose headquarters is in Daytona Beach, Florida, is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly golf tournaments for elite female golfers from...	Standard Register PING Safeway International The J Golf Phoenix LPGA International, in full the J Golf Phoenix LPGA International Presented by Mirassou Winery, was an annual golf tournament for professional female golfers on the LPGA Tour...
Masahiro Kuramoto Masahiro Kuramoto is a Japanese professional golfer.Kuramoto was born in Hiroshima. He turned professional in 1981. He has won 30 tournaments on the Japan Golf Tour, ranking fifth on the career list. He ranks seventh on the career money list with earnings of just over 1 billion ¥....	59	-12	1/4	1	2003	Japan Golf Tour Japan Golf Tour The Japan Golf Tour is a prominent golf tour. It was founded in 1973 and as of 2006 it offers the third highest annual prize fund out of the regular men's professional tours after the PGA Tour and the European Tour. However since the early 1990s, the growth in prize money has not kept pace with...	Acom International Acom International The Acom International was a golf tournament on the Japan Golf Tour from 1990 to 2006. From 1990 to 1998, it was played with a Modified Stableford format similar to The International on the U.S. PGA Tour. Beginning in 1999, it was played at a standard stroke play format...
Jason Gore Jason Gore Jason William Gore is an American professional golfer.Gore was born in Van Nuys, California. He first attended the University of Arizona before transferring to Pepperdine University. While at Pepperdine, he was part of their NCAA Division I Championship team in 1997. He also played on the...	59	-12	2/4	1	2005	Nationwide Tour Nationwide Tour The Nationwide Tour is the developmental tour for the U.S.-based PGA Tour, and features professional golfers who have either failed to score well enough at that level's Qualifying School to earn their PGA Tour card, or who have done so but then failed to win enough money to stay at that level...	Cox Classic Cox Classic The Cox Classic presented by Lexus of Omaha is a golf tournament on the Nationwide Tour. It is played annually at Champions Run in Omaha, Nebraska, USA.The 2011 purse was $725,000, with $130,500 going to the winner.-Winners:...
Adrien Mörk Adrien Mörk Adrien Mörk is a French professional golfer. In 2006 he recorded the first ever sub 60 round on any tour run by the PGA European Tour.-Career:Mörk was born in Montbéliard. He attended the McNeese State University in the United States...	59	-12	2/4	1	2006	Challenge Tour Challenge Tour The Challenge Tour is the second tier men's professional golf tour in Europe. It is operated by the PGA European Tour and as with on the main European Tour and the European Seniors Tour, some of the events are played outside of Europe...	Tikida Hotels Agadir Moroccan Classic
Paul Goydos Paul Goydos Paul David Goydos is an American professional golfer who has played on the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour.-Early life:...	59	-12	1/4	2	2010	PGA Tour PGA Tour The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...	John Deere Classic John Deere Classic The John Deere Classic is an American professional golf tournament on the PGA Tour. It is played annually in July, the week before the British Open, at the TPC at Deere Run in Silvis, Illinois....
Stuart Appleby Stuart Appleby Stuart Appleby is an Australian professional golfer.-Early life:Appleby was born in Cohuna in rural northern Victoria, and grew up on a nearby dairy farm. He began in golf by hitting balls from paddock to paddock after his farm chores were completed...	59	-11	4/4	1	2010	PGA Tour PGA Tour The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...	Greenbrier Classic Greenbrier Classic The Greenbrier Classic is a PGA Tour golf tournament that was played for the first time in 2010 at The Old White TPC at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia...

In unofficial tournaments or on minor tours:

Player	Score	To par	Rnd	Finish	Year	Tour	Tournament	Ref
Shigeki Maruyama Shigeki Maruyama Shigeki Maruyama is a Japanese professional golfer.Maruyama was born in Ichikawa, Chiba, Japan, near Tokyo. He attended Nihon University and turned professional in 1992. He is known for his ever-present smile on the golf course which has given rise to his nickname of the "Smiling Assassin"...	58	-13	1/2		2000	PGA Tour PGA Tour The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...	U.S. Open U.S. Open (golf) The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...  qualifying round
Jason Bohn Jason Bohn Jason Duehn Bohn is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour.Bohn was born in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. He graduated from the University of Alabama in 1995 with a degree in Finance. In 1992, while a sophomore on the Alabama golf team, Bohn was playing in a charity...	58	-13	4/4	1	2001	Canadian Tour Canadian Professional Golf Tour The Canadian Professional Golf Tour is a men's professional golf tour headquartered in Oakville, Ontario. It was formally started in 1970 and was initially known as the Peter Jackson Tour....	Bayer Championship
Gary Player Gary Player Gary Player DMS; OIG is a South African professional golfer. With his nine major championship victories, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of golf. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1974. Player has won 165 tournaments on six continents over six...	59	-10	2/4	1	1974		Brazil Open Brazil Open (golf) The Brazil Open or Aberto do Brasil is an annual golf tournament held in Brazil. It was founded in 1945, and has been an event on the Tour de las Americas on several occasions, most recently in 2005....
David Gossett David Gossett David Spencer Gossett is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour.Gossett was born in Phoenix, Arizona. His father introduced him to the game of golf and he competed in his first tournament at age 10. He went to Germantown High School in Germantown, Tennessee...	59	-13	4/6	T68	2000	PGA Tour PGA Tour The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...	qualifying school Qualifying school In professional golf the term qualifying school is used for the annual qualifying tournaments for leading golf tours such as the U.S. based PGA and LPGA Tours and the European Tour. A fixed number of players in the event win membership of the tour for the following season, otherwise known as a...  tournament
Phil Mickelson Phil Mickelson Philip Alfred Mickelson is an American professional golfer. He has won four major championships and a total of 39 events on the PGA Tour. He has reached a career high world ranking of 2nd in multiple years. He is nicknamed "Lefty" for his left-handed swing, even though he is otherwise right-handed...	59	-13	2/2	1	2004	PGA Tour PGA Tour The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...	PGA Grand Slam of Golf PGA Grand Slam of Golf The PGA Grand Slam of Golf is an annual off-season golf tournament contested by the year's winners of the four major championships of regular men's golf, which are the Masters Tournament, the U.S. Open, The Open Championship , and the PGA Championship...
Martin Kaymer Martin Kaymer Martin Kaymer is a German professional golfer. He became the No. 1 ranked golfer in the Official World Golf Rankings on 27 February 2011 after his runner-up finish in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship....	59	-13	2/3	1	2006	EPD Tour EPD Tour The EPD Tour is a developmental professional golf tour based in Germany. It is a third level tour, the highest level of men's golf in Europe being the European Tour, and the second level being the Challenge Tour...	Habsberg Classic
Harrison Frazar Harrison Frazar Harrison Frazar is an American professional golfer who has played on the Nationwide Tour and the PGA Tour.Frazar was born in Dallas, Texas and was raised there and in Abilene, Texas. He attended Highland Park High School, where he won two state golf championships and was a three-time all-Texas...	59	-13	4/6	1	2008	PGA Tour PGA Tour The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main men's professional golf tours in the United States and North America...	qualifying school Qualifying school In professional golf the term qualifying school is used for the annual qualifying tournaments for leading golf tours such as the U.S. based PGA and LPGA Tours and the European Tour. A fixed number of players in the event win membership of the tour for the following season, otherwise known as a...  tournament

Notes:

• Rnd is the round in which the score was shot, i.e. 2/4 means the round was shot in the second of four rounds.
• Finish is the final tournament finish of the player

Comments and quotes about achieving the perfect round

Sörenstam has commented on many occasions about her desire to shoot the perfect round saying,

“I believe I can hit 18 greens, hit every fairway, you know — Vision 54, which means you birdie every hole, that’s in the back of my mind. I want to putt better, chip better. That day when I hit 18 greens and one putt, I’ll know I’m a complete golfer. Will that ever happen? I’m not sure, but it’s possible. The 54 vision is always in the back of my mind.”

In another interview she said,

"How do you shoot a 54? Hit one fairway. Hit one green. Make one putt. Do that 18 times and you have achieved golf perfection."

She even has a knitted blue and yellow head cover in her bag with the number 54 on it.

Cecilia Ekelundh

Cecilia Ekelundh

Cecilia Ekelundh is a Swedish golfer. She turned professional in 2000 and was a Ladies European Tour rookie in 2002. She won on tour for the first time at the 2004 Ladies Open of Portugal. In 2005 she successfully defended that title in 2005 and also won the inaugural Volvo Cross Country Challenge...

, of the Ladies European Tour

Ladies European Tour

The Ladies European Tour is a professional golf tour for women which was founded in 1979. It is based in England. Like many UK-based sports organisations it is a company limited by guarantee, a legal structure which enables it to focus on maximising returns to its members through prize money,...

 keeps the perfect round on her mind by drawing a 54 on the ball she plays in competition.
“There is no reason why you can’t birdie every hole,” Ekelundh says.
"I got the idea when Swedish speed skater Tomas Gustafson

Tomas Gustafson

Sven Tomas Gustafson is a retired speed skater, and one of the most successful distance skaters of the 1980s. He was born in Katrineholm, Sweden.-Early career:...

 came and spoke at one of our national team days.
He said he wrote his ultimate lap time on his shoe so that every time he put his shoes on he visualised making that time.
Now every time I pick up a ball I have that vision."

There is an emerging philosophy among top rated golf schools popularized by Pia Nilsson's Vision 54 that concentrates on achieving the perfect round. The basic ideology being that striving for perfection results in better scores even if the goal is not met.