Golfer shoots 57… with THREE aces
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A former US marine claims to have shot one of the best rounds in history – a 57 that included THREE aces, two of which came on par 4s.
A former US marine claims to have shot one of the rounds of golf in history – a 57 that included THREE aces, two of which came on par 4s.
Plus-four handicapper Patrick Wills, 59, of Woodbridge, Virginia, has gone public with his astonishing round, which happened on June 22 at Laurel Hill Golf Club in Lorton, Virginia. It was playing just over 6,000 yards, and has a par of 71.
According to www.golfstylesonline.com, it happened in the GolfStyles’ annual Solstice Survival tournament, in which Wills has not shot more than 70 in a decade (he’s also shot a 58 in the event before).
After going out in 29 – with an ace on the 289-yard par 4 8th – he did it again on the par 4 10th, a 334-yard dogleg.
After getting to 11-under after 13 holes, Wills arrived on the par 3 14th, 187 yards uphill. He aced that, too.
He says he completed the back nine in 28, 14-under par. “I had never imagined anything like this in my whole life,” he said. “I was literally out of my mind.”
So is this for real? Well, there were witnesses – his playing partners, sons Charlie and Christopher, along with Air Force major Matt Ghormley.
Gene Orrico, Laurel Hill’s director of golf, also verified the score for GolfChannel.com.
Nevertheless, Wills realises his incredible round will be met with incredulity.
He said: “I’ve been around the world 10 or 12 times, fighting for this country’s freedom. People are allowed to believe what they want to believe – I fought for that freedom.
“But I know what I shot, my playing partners know what I shot and the people at the tournament do as well. I mean, I’m an accomplished amateur. I set my first course record when I was 16, shot a 65 or 66, and I’ve added a few since then. Anyone that has ever played a competitive round with me, they know what I’m capable of. They’ve seen it. So people are entitled to believe what they want, but I’ve always been drawn to golf because it aligns with my morals. I’d rather call a penalty on myself, or even disqualify myself, because I respect the game.”
Other incredible rounds
55: There are four rounds of 55 recorded, most recently in 2012. Australian pro Rhein Gibson shot 26 on the front nine at River Oaks GC in Oklahoma, and 29 on the back. Just a week earlier, he’s had set a new course record of 60.
58: That’s the official Guinness Book of World Records low round, set by Shigeki Maruyama and Ryo Ishikawa – the former did it in a US Open sectional qualifier, in 2000, the latter in a Japan Tour event in 2010. Both tool place on courses longer than Guinness’ official record minimum length of 6,500 yards.
