LEMONT, Ill. -- The best entertainment during a cool and rainy pro-am Wednesday at the BMW Championship might have been the ping-pong battles between courageous tour players and U.S. National junior player Grant Li.
Fredrik Jacobson, who was a nationally-ranked table tennis player 20 years ago in Sweden, was the only golfer who provided much of a challenge for the 16-year-old from Acton, Mass., but Li never lost more than a few points (See video below). Ranked somewhere in the top 5 in the U.S., Li was flown in to play with PGA Tour players who are also good with a ping-pong paddle. Thus far today, Li has been too much for Jason Day, Matt Kuchar and Jacobson.
"I had heard about Freddy, and what people don't realize is that he can really play," said Li. "He's definitely the best golfer/ping-pong player in the world."
-- Craig Bestrom
Posts by Liz Bergren
Back to Local Knowledge Index
Senior Open: Weather delays second round
TOLEDO, Ohio -- Heavy rain and thunderstorms Friday morning have delayed the start of the second round of the 32nd U.S. Senior Open at Inverness Club.
The second round, scheduled to begin at 7:30 a.m., will commence at 10:15 a.m. The final afternoon pairing, which was supposed to go off at 2:45 p.m., is now 5:15 p.m.
There is a chance of scattered thunderstorms Friday afternoon in northern Ohio, but the forecast for Saturday and Sunday is good.
Olin Browne shot a seven-under 64 Thursday to take a two-stroke lead over Michael Allen and Mark O'Meara.
-- Bill Fields
The second round, scheduled to begin at 7:30 a.m., will commence at 10:15 a.m. The final afternoon pairing, which was supposed to go off at 2:45 p.m., is now 5:15 p.m.
There is a chance of scattered thunderstorms Friday afternoon in northern Ohio, but the forecast for Saturday and Sunday is good.
Olin Browne shot a seven-under 64 Thursday to take a two-stroke lead over Michael Allen and Mark O'Meara.
-- Bill Fields
Exclusive: New 18 at Ballyneal Golf Club
Ballyneal Golf Club, ranked 95th on Golf Digest's latest list of America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses, announced on April 12 that construction will begin this summer on a second 18 at the northeast Colorado private club. Bruce Hepner will design and build the new course.
Until last June, Hepner had been vice-president and senior design associate of Tom Doak's design firm, Renaissance Golf Design, and in that capacity had assisted Doak in the design and construction of the original 18 at Ballyneal, which opened in 2006 (pictured below).
Ballyneal Golf Club is ranked 95th on Golf Digest's latest list of America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses.
Like the original, Ballyneal's second 18 will be a lay-of-the-land layout among rustic Great Plains sand hills. But Hepner says his will be less rugged.
"We had to melt down several dunes to make it [the original course] golfable. Otherwise, we would have ended up with a hundred blind shots," Hepner says. "But the site for the new 18 is on softer terrain, more upland and more exposed to the wind. So it should offer a little different playing experience."
Read more
Griffin medalist, Adler misses out at Public Links
GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) - Georgia Tech's John-Tyler Griffin, playing in his home state, secured medalist honors in the U.S. Amateur Public Links on Tuesday by shooting a 4-under 67.
Griffin, from Wilson, was 9-under 133 after two rounds of stroke play at Bryan Park Golf and Conference Center. That gave him a one-stroke edge on three others and the top seed for match play.
First-round leader Derek Ernst, a UNLV golfer, shot a 69 to finish at 8 under. Augusta State's Patrick Reed and Fresno State's Bhavik Patel also finished stroke play at 8 under.
Golf Digest Associate Editor Max Adler will miss out on match play, following up an opening 76 with a second-round 77.
Play was suspended because of a dangerous weather warning with 18 players on the course. They will complete the round Wednesday. Match play for the top 64 qualifiers starts later in the day.
Griffin, from Wilson, was 9-under 133 after two rounds of stroke play at Bryan Park Golf and Conference Center. That gave him a one-stroke edge on three others and the top seed for match play.
First-round leader Derek Ernst, a UNLV golfer, shot a 69 to finish at 8 under. Augusta State's Patrick Reed and Fresno State's Bhavik Patel also finished stroke play at 8 under.
Golf Digest Associate Editor Max Adler will miss out on match play, following up an opening 76 with a second-round 77.
Play was suspended because of a dangerous weather warning with 18 players on the course. They will complete the round Wednesday. Match play for the top 64 qualifiers starts later in the day.
Follow The Challenge: They're Off!
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- All the players and caddies are miked, everyone is warmed up and we are about to start the third edition of the Golf Digest U.S. Open Challenge for real. It's an overcast day with a hint of a sprinkle coming down, but scoring conditions are ideal. The temperature is a comfortable 65 degrees and there is just a slight breeze.
(On the first tee, from left to right: Bubba Watson, Drew Brees, Ricky Barnes, Wayne Gretzky, Rickie Fowler, Mark Wahlberg, Peggy Ference, Corey Pavin)
Contest-winner Peggy Ference was first on the tee ahead of her celebrity counterparts Drew Brees, Wayne Gretzky, and Mark Wahlberg, and she spent much of the time speaking with coach/caddie Corey Pavin. She hit several smooth and straight shots with a hybrid before walking to the short-game area with the Ryder Cup captain. With the length she'll be facing playing from the tips, she will certainly have to be sharp around the greens.
Check back here often for hole-by-hole updates to see how all four players fare.
Hole 1, Par 4, 380 Yards: As expected, there were nerves on the first tee with only Peggy hitting the fairway. She took two out of a bunker, though, to make 7. But she had plenty of company on a hole that took more than 20 minutes and required three rulings.
Scores (overall): Mark Wahlberg 5 (+1), Wayne Gretzky 7 (+3), Peggy Ference 7 (+3), Drew Brees 7 (+3)
Hole 2, Par 4, 502 Yards: Gretzky hits the shot of the day thus far, knocking it on the green from 230 yards. The Great One exclaims, "Now we're playing!"
Scores (overall): Wahlberg 6 (+3), Gretzky 4 (+3), Brees 6 (+5), Ference 8 (+7)
Hole 3, Par 4, 404 Yards: Drew Brees, the low handicapper in the group, continues his sluggish start. The lack of a practice round really seems to be hurting him, especially in handling the rough. He's now 8 over through 3.
Scores (overall): Gretzky 5 (+4), Wahlberg 7 (+6), Brees 7 (+8), Ference 6 (+9)
Hole 4, Par 4, 331 Yards: Gretzky remains the low ball in the group by a healthy margin. The hockey legend nearly holes out his bunker shot for birdie, but settles for his second par.
Scores (overall): Gretzky 4 (+4), Brees 5 (+9), Wahlberg 8 (+10), Ference 8 (+13)
Hole 5, Par 3, 195 Yards: On the first par 3 of the day, Drew Brees makes the first par by anyone not named Gretzky. It's a good hole for Peggy, too, as she notches her first bogey of the round.
Scores (overall): Gretzky 5 (+6), Brees 3 (+9), Wahlberg 4 (+11), Ference 4 (+14)
Hole 6, Par 5, 523 Yards: Peggy finds the left rough on her tee shot and struggles the whole way. Wahlberg takes advantage of a cart path-aided drive that nearly takes out caddie Rickie Fowler's girlfriend. The result is his first par.
Scores (overall): Gretzky 7 (+8), Brees 6 (+10), Wahlberg 5 (+11), Ference 10 (+19)
Hole 7, Par 3, 109 Yards: The Great One continues his great bunker play, holing out for birdie from the left greenside bunker on the signature par 3. The guys take advantage of the course's shortest hole as Brees and Wahlberg make par.
Scores (overall): Gretzky 2 (+7), Brees 3 (+10), Wahlberg 3 (+11), Ference 5 (+21)
Hole 8, Par 4, 428 Yards: Gretzky goes from the best shot of the day to the worst with his tee shot on No. 8. After shanking one into the crowd, he re-tees and makes a 9. Brees makes a terrific par to take the lead.
Scores (overall): Brees 3 (+10), Gretzky 9 (+12), Wahlberg 5 (+12), Ference 6 (+23)
Hole 9, Par 4, 505 Yards: The ninth hole took a bite out of everyone. Brees' double bogey was the best score.
Scores (overall): Brees 6 (+12), Wahlberg 7 (+15), Gretzky 8 (+16), ), Ference 8 (+27)
Hole 10, Par 4, 495 Yards: After a crooked drive, Wahlberg rolls in a 15-footer to save par to grab a share of the lead. Gretzky matches him, while Peggy continues to struggle, making a triple-bogey 7.
Scores (overall): Brees 7 (+15), Wahlberg 4 (+15), Gretzky 4 (+16), Ference 7 (+30)
Hole 11, Par 4, 390 Yards: The wind is really picking up, making tough conditions even tougher. Brees and Wahlberg manage bogeys on a relatively -- emphasis on relatively -- easy hole to lead the way.
Scores (overall): Brees 5 (+16), Wahlberg 5 (+16), Gretzky 6 (+18), Ference 8 (+34)
Hole 12, Par 3, 200 Yards: The best hole of the day for the group, especially for Peggy, who rolls in a six-footer for her first par of the day, leading to hugs with everyone in the group. Brees and Gretzky answer with pars of their own, while Wahlberg settles for bogey.
Scores (overall): Brees 3 (+16), Wahlberg 4 (+17), Gretzky 3 (+18), Ference 3 (+34)
Hole 13, Par 4, 445 Yards: Wahlberg's bid to break 100 takes a major hit when he can barely advance his ball from the rough after a wild tee shot. It gets worse, though, when he hooks his fourth shot into someones backyard on his way to an 9. Gretzky doesn't fare much better with a 6. And when he walks off the green remarks "It's touch and go now."
Scores (overall): Brees 7 (+19), Gretzky 6 (+20), Wahlberg 9 (+22), Ference 7 (+37)
Hole 14, Par 5, 580 Yards: As if not difficult enough, the long par-5 14th is playing dead into the wind. Wahlberg and Gretzky managed to squeak out bogeys but Brees finds himself over by the merchandise tent. The triple-bogey for the quarterback allows Gretzky to regain the lead with four holes to play.
Scores (overall): Gretzky 7 (+22), Brees 8 (+22), Wahlberg 6 (+23), Ference 8 (+40)
Hole 15, Par 4, 397 Yards: The race for the low ball continues. Wahlberg manages to get up-and-down for par, while Gretzky and Brees each make six. Peggy struggles to another 7.
Scores (overall): Wahlberg 4 (+23), Gretzky 6 (+24), Brees 6 (+24), Ference 7 (+43)
Hole 16, Par 4, 403 Yards: Mark Wahlberg makes bogey to remain tied with Gretzky while an 8 by Brees means he needs to par the final two holes to break 100.
Scores (overall): Wahlberg 5 (+24), Gretzky 5 (+25), Brees 8 (+28), Ference 5 (+44)
Hole 17, Par 3, 208 Yards: At the famed par 3, Wahlberg chunks his tee shot, advancing it no more than 30 yards en route to a double bogey. Gretzky hits the green, but has a lengthy birdie attempt and ends up three-putting for bogey. The Great One still has a one-shot lead heading into the final hole. Brees had a chance to get up and down out of the bunker for par but missed a four-footer, meaning he'll have to birdie the last to break 100.
Scores (overall): Gretzky 4 (+26), Wahlberg 5 (+26), Brees 4 (+29), Ference 5 (+46)
Hole 18, Par 5, 543 Yards: Well, it wasn't pretty, but it's over. With a fairly routine par, Wahlberg comes in a 97, while Gretzky stumbles down the stretch to make 8, with his final score matching his famed uniform number, 99. Brees' triple-bogey gives him a 102 and Peggy closes with a seven for 119. Wahlberg's 97 is the highest score by the Open Challenge winner.
Scores (overall): Wahlberg 5 (+26), Gretzky 8 (+29), Brees 7, (+31, Ference 7 (+48)
Post-round update: It would be impossible to have to tabulate this many strokes without a scoring error, and we've got one. Although Gretzky actually made a bogey 6 on the par-5 14th, he signed for a 7, which means he actually won't be credited with a 99 but an even 100. It's not exactly a gaffe of the Roberto De Vicenzo extreme, but it does eliminate the tidy storyline of No. 99 shooting 99.
Post-round update No. 2: Another scoring gaffe shows Ference actually fared one stroke better, posting a 118. She shot 62-56.
Final Scores: Mark Wahlberg: 97, Wayne Gretzky: 100, Drew Brees: 102, Peggy Ference: 118
-- Alex Myers
Tiger tees off at the Masters
AUGUSTA, Ga. -- Tiger Woods cleared the rough in one aspect Monday at Augusta National Golf Club when he teed off for his first practice round in preparation for the Masters Tournament and found the reception from patrons enthusiastic and warm.
Woods was greeted with cheers and applause as he teed off with Fred Couples at 8 a.m.
"Go Tiger."
"Glad you're back!"
"Welcome back Tiger!"
Woods, who hit two balls off the tee -- his first tee shot sailed wide left into the trees -- smiled as he walked down the first fairway stride for stride with Couples as people, just entering the grounds of the club, swarmed towards the first fairway.
Out of action since November, when revelations of infidelity followed a bizarre auto accident near his home in Windermere, Fla., Woods is making his first tournament start of the season. He will be giving his first press conference since the accident at 2 p.m. today.
--Dave Shedloski
Photo by Harry How/Getty Images
At Tavistock, a tradition worth dropping
Editor's Note: Ron Sirak didn't attend the 2011 Tavistock Cup, for reasons that should be obvious enough if you recall what happened when he tried to attend last year's event. Here's Sirak's account of that day, which earned him honors in the Golf Writers Association of America writing contest, but probably not any friends at Tavistock.
WINDERMERE, Fla. --- Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new record. Previously, the shortest stay at a golf tournament in my professional capacity was at the 1996 Senior PGA Championship at PGA National. After two rounds, the 36-hole leader, Buddy Allin came into the interview room and said something to the effect of: "Couldn't beat these guys on the regular tour. Can't beat these guys on this tour. All I want is to pick up top-10 money and go home." That's all I needed. Check please, I'm out of here. I called my boss and pitched going to Harbour Town to do a Greg Norman feature. Well, that record was shattered Monday at the Tavistock Cup. I didn't make it out of the parking lot.
The Tavistock Cup, for the tens of million who aren't familiar with it, is the annual Battle of the Gated Communities in which pros from Lake Nona take on their colleagues from Isleworth, although I'd like to see some ID on a few of the competitors to see where they really live. The two captains, for example, are Ernie Els for Lake Nona and Mark O'Meara for Isleworth. Els lives in Jupiter, which is at least still in Florida, while O'Meara resides in Houston, which I guess means he can use the tenuous connection that both Texas and Florida had a Bush as governor at one time. But I digress. Here is the strange and wondrous tale of my shortest stay at a tournament.
When I picked up my credential at Will Call they also handed me a shirt. Nothing unusual there. I have spent decades supplying the Salvation Army with logoed shirts given to media members by tournament organizers, a campaign I stepped up when my significant other said to me: "My goal is to get you in clothing I don't have to read." So with credential in hand and shirt in a bag, I headed for the "A" parking lot, which was in a field at the end of a windy road at Isleworth.
Now, as a veteran scribe I have learned that when I get out of my rental car in a media parking lot I best try to jot down some landmark that will give me at least a hint of where the car -- that I will almost certainly forget the make and color of immediately -- is located. What's that I see in the distance? Yes, the shuttle buses to the golf course, which must be around here somewhere.
So I get to the shuttle and a friendly enough chap says, "Didn't they give you a shirt?" to which I replied: "Yes they certainly did and a damn nice one it is." That was apparently the wrong answer. The guy, who now was getting very serious about his job, says: "In the spirit of the competition, everyone is expected to wear either Lake Nona blue or Isleworth red," or maybe it was the other way around. Frankly, the absurdity of the request -- which wasn't really a request -- directed my attention away from the details. Anyway, I replied: "In the spirit of journalism, I cannot wear your corporate uniform while I am covering your event. I am here as a journalist, not as a billboard."
At this point, the friendly enough chap who had morphed into an overly officious quasi official went up the food chain to the senior overly officious quasi official, a place where I thought sanity would reside. I was wrong. The argument that I was there to work and not be a spectator seemed to matter not on whit. At this point I lost all interest in this made-for-TV event. The Arnold Palmer Invitational was commencing at Bay Hill, a couple miles down the road, and spending Monday with Arnie seemed like an even better idea than usual.
I handed the overly officious quasi official my business card and told him to tell whoever cared about such matters that I came, I saw and I rejected the terms of engagement. At this point perhaps I should mention that I had to wait weeks to find out of my credential application for this non-event was approved. The approval came, coincidentally, the day after Tiger Woods announced he would not play at Tavistock or Bay Hill.
In 2005, I covered all four men's major championships and all four women's majors, prompting Golf Digest senior scribe and living legend Dan Jenkins to say: "Ron, you are not only the lone golf writer to work all eight majors in the same year, you are the only one who wanted to." In a couple weeks I will work my 20th Masters, which is only 40 short of the number Jenkins has covered.
But I have something Dan doesn't. I covered a Tavistock Cup -- or at least the parking lot of the Tavistock Cup. I can tell you this: There won't be 20, or even two. Where's the nearest Salvation Army so I can drop off this shirt?
-- Ron Sirak
Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images
WINDERMERE, Fla. --- Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new record. Previously, the shortest stay at a golf tournament in my professional capacity was at the 1996 Senior PGA Championship at PGA National. After two rounds, the 36-hole leader, Buddy Allin came into the interview room and said something to the effect of: "Couldn't beat these guys on the regular tour. Can't beat these guys on this tour. All I want is to pick up top-10 money and go home." That's all I needed. Check please, I'm out of here. I called my boss and pitched going to Harbour Town to do a Greg Norman feature. Well, that record was shattered Monday at the Tavistock Cup. I didn't make it out of the parking lot.
The Tavistock Cup, for the tens of million who aren't familiar with it, is the annual Battle of the Gated Communities in which pros from Lake Nona take on their colleagues from Isleworth, although I'd like to see some ID on a few of the competitors to see where they really live. The two captains, for example, are Ernie Els for Lake Nona and Mark O'Meara for Isleworth. Els lives in Jupiter, which is at least still in Florida, while O'Meara resides in Houston, which I guess means he can use the tenuous connection that both Texas and Florida had a Bush as governor at one time. But I digress. Here is the strange and wondrous tale of my shortest stay at a tournament.
When I picked up my credential at Will Call they also handed me a shirt. Nothing unusual there. I have spent decades supplying the Salvation Army with logoed shirts given to media members by tournament organizers, a campaign I stepped up when my significant other said to me: "My goal is to get you in clothing I don't have to read." So with credential in hand and shirt in a bag, I headed for the "A" parking lot, which was in a field at the end of a windy road at Isleworth.
Now, as a veteran scribe I have learned that when I get out of my rental car in a media parking lot I best try to jot down some landmark that will give me at least a hint of where the car -- that I will almost certainly forget the make and color of immediately -- is located. What's that I see in the distance? Yes, the shuttle buses to the golf course, which must be around here somewhere.
So I get to the shuttle and a friendly enough chap says, "Didn't they give you a shirt?" to which I replied: "Yes they certainly did and a damn nice one it is." That was apparently the wrong answer. The guy, who now was getting very serious about his job, says: "In the spirit of the competition, everyone is expected to wear either Lake Nona blue or Isleworth red," or maybe it was the other way around. Frankly, the absurdity of the request -- which wasn't really a request -- directed my attention away from the details. Anyway, I replied: "In the spirit of journalism, I cannot wear your corporate uniform while I am covering your event. I am here as a journalist, not as a billboard."
At this point, the friendly enough chap who had morphed into an overly officious quasi official went up the food chain to the senior overly officious quasi official, a place where I thought sanity would reside. I was wrong. The argument that I was there to work and not be a spectator seemed to matter not on whit. At this point I lost all interest in this made-for-TV event. The Arnold Palmer Invitational was commencing at Bay Hill, a couple miles down the road, and spending Monday with Arnie seemed like an even better idea than usual.
I handed the overly officious quasi official my business card and told him to tell whoever cared about such matters that I came, I saw and I rejected the terms of engagement. At this point perhaps I should mention that I had to wait weeks to find out of my credential application for this non-event was approved. The approval came, coincidentally, the day after Tiger Woods announced he would not play at Tavistock or Bay Hill.
In 2005, I covered all four men's major championships and all four women's majors, prompting Golf Digest senior scribe and living legend Dan Jenkins to say: "Ron, you are not only the lone golf writer to work all eight majors in the same year, you are the only one who wanted to." In a couple weeks I will work my 20th Masters, which is only 40 short of the number Jenkins has covered.
But I have something Dan doesn't. I covered a Tavistock Cup -- or at least the parking lot of the Tavistock Cup. I can tell you this: There won't be 20, or even two. Where's the nearest Salvation Army so I can drop off this shirt?
-- Ron Sirak
Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images
One fine day is followed by another
SONOMA, Calif. -- So much for the theory that it is hard to follow a great round with another one the next day.
John Cook had a handsome encore for his second-round 62 at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, shooting a 67 Saturday to extend his lead to six strokes with one round to play at Sonoma GC.
There doesn't look like much can go wrong with Cook's simple swing, which 1964 U.S. Open champion Ken Venturi began shaping when Cook was only 14, and nearly everything has gone right this week for the now 52-year-old.
At 19-under 197, Cook matched Jack Nicklaus' record total for the first 54 holes in a 72-hole Champions Tour event (1990 Mazda Senior Players Championship) and has the largest lead going into the final day of a four-round event since Jay Haas at the CSCC in 2005.
Cook has bludgeoned the par 5s, playing them nine under, and hit 45 of 54 greens in regulation. Dinner was going to taste better after he scrambled for a par on the 18th hole Saturday after having to pitch out of a fairway bunker.
Cook's challengers -- Russ Cochran (13 under), Tom Watson and Brad Bryant (12 under) and Larry Mize, Jeff Sluman and Phil Blackmar (11 under) -- will have to do something special to prevent Cook from claiming his second victory of 2009.
Unless one of the chasers puts up a great round, merely a good one by Cook might be enough to secure his fourth career senior win.
-- Bill Fields
John Cook had a handsome encore for his second-round 62 at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship, shooting a 67 Saturday to extend his lead to six strokes with one round to play at Sonoma GC.
There doesn't look like much can go wrong with Cook's simple swing, which 1964 U.S. Open champion Ken Venturi began shaping when Cook was only 14, and nearly everything has gone right this week for the now 52-year-old.
At 19-under 197, Cook matched Jack Nicklaus' record total for the first 54 holes in a 72-hole Champions Tour event (1990 Mazda Senior Players Championship) and has the largest lead going into the final day of a four-round event since Jay Haas at the CSCC in 2005.
Cook has bludgeoned the par 5s, playing them nine under, and hit 45 of 54 greens in regulation. Dinner was going to taste better after he scrambled for a par on the 18th hole Saturday after having to pitch out of a fairway bunker.
Cook's challengers -- Russ Cochran (13 under), Tom Watson and Brad Bryant (12 under) and Larry Mize, Jeff Sluman and Phil Blackmar (11 under) -- will have to do something special to prevent Cook from claiming his second victory of 2009.
Unless one of the chasers puts up a great round, merely a good one by Cook might be enough to secure his fourth career senior win.
-- Bill Fields
Daily Double Addenda
Last week, we reported that Scott Wood and his wife, Stephanie English, made holes-in-one on the same hole within hours of each other (see Local Knowledge post: "Daily Double"). This happened on the sixth hole at Conway Farms in Lake Forest, Ill.
It seems Conway Farms members have a knack for making aces. Wood filled us in on a previous spate of one-shotters there, "On October 30, 2003, playing in a morning round, Bill Philip made a hole-in-one on the 150-yard 11th hole. Then later that day, Kevin Jordan (pictured far right) aced the 205 yard 17th hole, and the next player in his foursome, Kirk Malcolm (near right), aced his shot so there were two balls in the cup when the foursome reached the green.
That's not all. The next day, Kevin played and made two on the hole. The following day, he rested and the next day he ACED THE 17TH HOLE AGAIN!! Kevin played the 17th hole three times and had an aggregate score of 4! We will try to now take it to the next level and have three players in the same foursome ace the same hole on the same day. I won't be holding my breath," admitted Wood.
Malcolm emailed us to clarify the playing order, "In reality, I aced it first (hitting second in the foursome) and Kevin hit third. I always told him that once I showed him how, he really got the hang of it."
Golf Digest's keeper of records par excellence, Cliff Schrock, explains the rarity, "If the odds for two average players acing the same hole are 17 million to 1, and the odds for a low-handicap golfer making two aces in the same round are 67 million to 1, one player acing the same hole a few days apart and throwing in a birdie another time must be somewhere in the middle of that.
Since we don't have any scientific background to use in this instance, I would think the golfer who went 1-2-1, with a day off, achieved something in the vicinity of 33 million to 1.
And if you really want to get complicated and throw in the odds of a playing partner acing the same hole on the same day the other one holes out, then it's probably going back up again to a 50 million or 60 million to 1.
But when you start calculating odds for things that are quite defined like that, your best guess is just pure speculation, which is where we are with the additional golfer who aced No. 11 on the same day the other two were acing the same hole. I don't think the odds change for the two who aced the same hole, but the third person would need to have odds calculated for acing a hole on the same course where two golfers earlier aced a different hole.
That is so specific that the data isn't there to calculate it, and confounding the odds are what was done for the 1989 U.S. Open at Oak Hill.
When four pros aced the sixth hole within a few hours, we calculated the odds of any four golfers acing the same hole on the same day as 332,000 to 1. That seems incredibly low to me of lightning hitting the same spot four times in one day. So to me this is a case where you acknowledge the feat and just be amazed that so much good fortune took place on the same day on the same course."
Wood accurately describes Conway Farms as, "the Holy See of high-odds shots."
-- Topsy Siderowf
It seems Conway Farms members have a knack for making aces. Wood filled us in on a previous spate of one-shotters there, "On October 30, 2003, playing in a morning round, Bill Philip made a hole-in-one on the 150-yard 11th hole. Then later that day, Kevin Jordan (pictured far right) aced the 205 yard 17th hole, and the next player in his foursome, Kirk Malcolm (near right), aced his shot so there were two balls in the cup when the foursome reached the green. That's not all. The next day, Kevin played and made two on the hole. The following day, he rested and the next day he ACED THE 17TH HOLE AGAIN!! Kevin played the 17th hole three times and had an aggregate score of 4! We will try to now take it to the next level and have three players in the same foursome ace the same hole on the same day. I won't be holding my breath," admitted Wood.
Malcolm emailed us to clarify the playing order, "In reality, I aced it first (hitting second in the foursome) and Kevin hit third. I always told him that once I showed him how, he really got the hang of it."
Golf Digest's keeper of records par excellence, Cliff Schrock, explains the rarity, "If the odds for two average players acing the same hole are 17 million to 1, and the odds for a low-handicap golfer making two aces in the same round are 67 million to 1, one player acing the same hole a few days apart and throwing in a birdie another time must be somewhere in the middle of that.
Since we don't have any scientific background to use in this instance, I would think the golfer who went 1-2-1, with a day off, achieved something in the vicinity of 33 million to 1.
And if you really want to get complicated and throw in the odds of a playing partner acing the same hole on the same day the other one holes out, then it's probably going back up again to a 50 million or 60 million to 1.
But when you start calculating odds for things that are quite defined like that, your best guess is just pure speculation, which is where we are with the additional golfer who aced No. 11 on the same day the other two were acing the same hole. I don't think the odds change for the two who aced the same hole, but the third person would need to have odds calculated for acing a hole on the same course where two golfers earlier aced a different hole.
That is so specific that the data isn't there to calculate it, and confounding the odds are what was done for the 1989 U.S. Open at Oak Hill.
When four pros aced the sixth hole within a few hours, we calculated the odds of any four golfers acing the same hole on the same day as 332,000 to 1. That seems incredibly low to me of lightning hitting the same spot four times in one day. So to me this is a case where you acknowledge the feat and just be amazed that so much good fortune took place on the same day on the same course."
Wood accurately describes Conway Farms as, "the Holy See of high-odds shots."
-- Topsy Siderowf
College coaches check out juniors at national championships
College coaches always flock to the U.S. Junior Championships. This year with the best boys and girls playing concurrently at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, N.J., record numbers of head coaches and assistants showed up. They've come to watch the kids on their wish lists, but strict NCAA rules determine how they can go about building relationships with them.
This week the coaches are mostly watching. They've done their scouting and know whom they'd like to sign. It gets pretty competitive with the hottest players pursued by a host of schools.
Take Jordan Spieth, for instance. Based on his semifinalist finish in the U.S. Junior in 2008, he is one of only five boys fully exempt in this year's tournament. Walking with him on Trump's New Course during Monday's qualifying round were the six coaches pictured below. Each would consider it a coup to sign him. A high school junior with excellent grades, Spieth has his pick of many schools, even more so after shooting an impressive opening round 66.
Back row, left to right, Mike McGraw, Oklahoma State; Chris Haack, University of Georgia; Kurt Schuette, USC and Conrad Ray, Stanford. Front row, left to right, Derek Freeman, UCLA and Chris Zambri, USC. Photo by Topsy Siderowf
The national championships are the most grueling competition juniors face each year. After getting through local qualifying, 156 boys and 156 girls play a similar format. There are two rounds of stroke play with the low 64 of each championship making it to match play. The eventual winner will be crowned on Saturday at the conclusion of a 36-hole final.
No other event carries as much prestige as the national junior championship. The winner earns assorted exemptions including into the U.S. Amateur and a place on the short list of every coach in America.
-- Topsy Siderowf
This week the coaches are mostly watching. They've done their scouting and know whom they'd like to sign. It gets pretty competitive with the hottest players pursued by a host of schools.
Take Jordan Spieth, for instance. Based on his semifinalist finish in the U.S. Junior in 2008, he is one of only five boys fully exempt in this year's tournament. Walking with him on Trump's New Course during Monday's qualifying round were the six coaches pictured below. Each would consider it a coup to sign him. A high school junior with excellent grades, Spieth has his pick of many schools, even more so after shooting an impressive opening round 66.
Back row, left to right, Mike McGraw, Oklahoma State; Chris Haack, University of Georgia; Kurt Schuette, USC and Conrad Ray, Stanford. Front row, left to right, Derek Freeman, UCLA and Chris Zambri, USC. Photo by Topsy Siderowf
The national championships are the most grueling competition juniors face each year. After getting through local qualifying, 156 boys and 156 girls play a similar format. There are two rounds of stroke play with the low 64 of each championship making it to match play. The eventual winner will be crowned on Saturday at the conclusion of a 36-hole final.
No other event carries as much prestige as the national junior championship. The winner earns assorted exemptions including into the U.S. Amateur and a place on the short list of every coach in America.
-- Topsy Siderowf
Local Knowledge continues
More on GolfDigest.com
Slideshows
The 18 Most Annoying Golf Partners
The only thing worse than playing with one is being one.
Golf Courses & Travel
The 20 Toughest Courses
Approach these courses with caution, and at your own risk.
News & Tours
Final Round Flameouts
In a season of memorable collapses, a look at the biggest in history.
