Records are made to be broken
Records “are” made to be broken, Well, that’s the old saying anyway. There are some astounding records in the game of golf. 142 consecutive cuts made by Tiger Woods. 12 under par in a U.S. Open by Woods. 18 tournament wins in one season, including 11 in a row, by the immortal Byron Nelson. Sam Snead shooting his age (then 67), followed by a 66 in the same event, in 1979.
John Abendroth’s recent article on making a hole in one reminded me of another golf record that is truly astounding. Art Wall Jr. made 45 holes in one in his career. That includes both tournament and casual rounds, but they all “count.” Wall, who certainly was a fine player in his day, with fourteen tour wins including the 1959 Masters, just seemed to have a knack for hitting the ball in the hole.
In looking at the holes in one made by other famous players I was surprised to see Bobby Jones with 2, Ben Hogan with 4, Gene Sarazen with 7, and the aforementioned Byron Nelson with 8. It appears being a great player doesn’t necessarily equate to the ability to get it in the hole with one swing.
So, who is “up there” with Art Wall in career holes in one? The mercurial Chi Chi Rodriquez has 37 (can you imagine the putter-sword waving after one of his?). The great Sam Snead has 32 aces.
Next on the list are two solid players, but not ones that would be classified as upper echelon golfers. Scott Hoch has made 30 holes in one, and Bob Tway 28.
So, how did golf’s immortal “Big 3” do in the ace category? Jack Nicklaus has 15, Arnold Palmer, 14, and Gary Player, 13. Pretty even, just like the way they played each other.
Oh, that Woods fellow? He has 19 to date. Can he make 27 more before he hangs up his Nike’s, and eclipse Mr. Wall’s record? That would be a pretty tall order, even for “the man.” But then again before Tiger was really Tiger, who could ever of conceived that a person could run down Nicklaus’ 18 major professional titles!
Not to forget the women, Kathy Whitworth has recorded the most with 11. Nancy Lopez has 9. Lorena Ochoa and Paula Creamer better get busy!
Please don’t feel bad if you haven’t made a hole in one. It’s a pretty tough assignment even for most professional golfers, give or take a few. The odd’s of an amateur making one are 2,253,649,101,066,840, 000,000,000,000,000,000,000 to 1. So, “take dead aim”, and maybe you’ll be buying a lot of drinks in the bar someday.
