Pittsfield—The leaves aren’t the only thing falling right now. So is Matt Donovan’s score.

On the heels of his most successful summer since turning professional in 2001, Donovan shot a 9-under par 62 under cloudy and damp conditions yesterday to set the Country Club of Pittsfield course record.

His round began inauspiciously, with a bogey on No. 1 But he birdied Nos. 3, 4, 7 and 9 to make the turn in 3-under 32.

At that point, Donovan had done nothing out of the ordinary.

“There’s been people that have made the turn low, shot 31 or something,” said head professional Brad Benson, who’s held that position since 1979.

Time after time, no one could ever play as well on the back as they did on the front. And that certainly appeared to be the case with Donovan after he made bogey on No. 10 and fell to 2-under.

But birdies on Nos. 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 18 quickly turned his round into extraordinary. His 9-under 62, fueled by that 6-under 30 on the back nine, surpassed the previous course record of 63 set originally by Chris Tremblay and Alan Schulte.

Tremblay, a graduate of Pittsfield High School, shot a 7-under 63 on the old par 70 layout during a high school match in 1980. Schulte, a pro from New York, shot 8-under 63 during the 1985 Lenox House Pro-Am.

And how about this for irony: Tremblay, who is now a teaching pro at Silver Creek Country Club in Pennsylvania, returned home to Pittsfield and played at the Country Club yesterday.

“I got done playing and I heard about the score and said, ‘Well, that’s lower than me,’” said Tremblay, who shot 71. “It was done by the player who should do it. I’ve had my fun with (the course record), so now it’s his turn.”

His round was witnessed by members Kim Peterson, Bob Schwartz and Gary Tucker. Afterward, he went into the golf shop to talk with Benson.

“He went to post his score because he likes to keep his handicap, but it wouldn’t accept it because it was too low,” Benson said with a smile. “And last week, he shot 75 and it wouldn’t accept it because it was too high.”

Unlike previous years, Donovan enters the PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament, which begins Oct. 23^rd, riding a crest of confidence. He didn’t pay the more than $3,000 tuition last year after a sub-par season left him strained financially. His best performance came in 2004, when he breezed through 1^st stage and then played well at 2^nd stage before shooting a final round 81.

“He’s so capable of being out (on the PGA TOUR),” Benson said. “He’s such a good ball-striker. He just needs a break. Maybe he’s due.”