BLOOMINGTON - After parring his first four holes earlier this week at The Den at Fox Creek Golf Course, Eric Meier couldn't have dreamed what was ahead.

"I was just thinking it was going to be a pretty typical round around par," the Illinois State golfer and University High School graduate explained.

Typical turned into extraordinary in a hurry.

Meier, playing on his home course with his father, Ron, birdied nine of the last 14 holes to complete a course-record 9-under par 63 from the gold tees.

"I was pretty much in the zone the whole round," Meier said. "I was still hitting the ball good those first four holes. I just wasn't making any putts."

Meier started his birdie binge on No. 5 and followed with birdies on Nos. 7, 8 and 9 to make the turn at 32.

"I got one to fall on seven and hit a really nice 5-wood to about 8 feet on eight which was playing about 225 (yards)," Meier said. "That's the first time I started to think about the course record because I knew it was 64.

"No. 9 is a par 5 which was reachable for me that day so I thought could make birdie or eagle on that hole. I was right next to the green in two and birdied it. I knew I was halfway there."

Meier continued his sizzling play on the back side with birdies on Nos. 10, 12, 14 and 15 to get to 8-under. He parred Nos. 16 and 17 before sinking a short birdie try on No. 18 for the record.

"It was nice to (birdie) all four of the par 5s," Meier said. "If you're going to go low that's the way to go. (After 15) I was thinking get at least one of the last three. I had a pretty easy two-putt for par on 16 and I just missed a birdie putt on 17.

"I hit two perfect shots on 18: driver down the middle and a pitching wedge to about 3 feet."

Meier, a member of Bloomington-Normal's victorious Signature Cup team last weekend and a seasonal employee at The Den, said he never worried about making his final putt.

"I wasn't that nervous over the 3-footer," Meier said. "Where I really felt the nerves were a couple of 1½- and 2-foot par putts on the back nine. That's when you're thinking you can't miss one of these and totally blow it. That would have been embarrassing."