An abundance of albatrosses this year
I guess I lied. I said I’d list the Top 10 public course holes this week but I’ll have to keep the suspense going for another week as there simply isn’t room with everything else that has been happening.
SCENE
It’s simply crazy.
The odds on getting a doubleeagle — also called an albatross — are staggering — way, way higher than a hole-in-one.
Yet, we now have six of them already this year in the Edmonton area. The latest even came on a Par 4 when Ron Cook’s tee shot went in on No. 8 at Jagare Ridge — a hole which measures 284 yards from the white tees.
“It’s so bizarre. I still have trouble believing it was real,” Cook said of his feat on the severe dog leg right that he handled by cutting the corner and hitting it over the trees.
For the longest time, nobody knew for sure what had happened to Cook’s tee shot.
“There were two balls in the fairway and a third was on the cart path; I didn’t see my ball anywhere so I figured it was toast,” said Cook.
Then the fun really started. “Shaun McCord, one of the guys I was playing with put his putt close and went to tap it in when he exclaimed, ‘There are two balls in the hole!’
“I said, ‘Don’t tell me it’s a black Callaway 1.’”
Sure enough. “Somebody looked it up on the web and the odds against a holein-one on a Par 4 are 125,296 to 1,” said Cook.
The second albatross to report was more conventional coming on a Par 5.
That one was authored by Jordy Carrigan, who, after a 300-yard drive, knocked in a cut 3-iron from 236 yards on No. 18 at the Edmonton Petroleum Club.
“I’ve never had a hole-in-one before let alone an albatross,” said Carrigan, who plays to a plus-1 handicap and ended up shooting a 1-under 71.
“I was in-between ripping at a 4-iron or hitting a knock-down 3-iron. I chose the latter and watched it trickle over a mound fronting the green.
“I couldn’t see it go in, but I knew it was going to be close. It was sure a nice way to finish the day.”
NOTED
In Saturday’s playoff against Glendale’s Adam Bruce, Royal Mayfair’s Mike Belbin pulled off one of the most incredible and dramatic golf shots to win the 31st Henry Martell Pro Am for the fourth straight year at the immaculate Highlands Golf Club.
“I said to myself, ‘All I have to do is go under one limb and over a second limb and we’re good,’” Belbin said of an 86-yard 60-degree wedge that he somehow managed to cosy up to eight feet after his 3-wood tee shot went a little longer than he wanted and ended up in the right rough directly behind a tree.
Not only did the shot have to navigate through the small portal, it also had to clear a bunker.
“An unbelievable birdie,” marvelled Bruce. “One of the best shots I’ve ever seen.”
Bruce and Belbin ended up on even terms at 2-under after the two-day event — Belbin going 67-73 while Bruce closed with a 5-under 66 after opening with a 74.
Thinking he was going to end up second, Belbin had already put his clubs away.
“Just like last year when I wound up in a playoff against Belvedere’s Peter Kenneford. I didn’t think Adam was going to bogey his final hole; he had been playing so well,” said Belbin.
But, holding a one-shot advantage with just one hole to play, Bruce, unfortunately, did just that.
“I laid up to a good number. I had 100 yards in,” said Bruce. “I thought I had a flier lie but it didn’t fly.”
Instead his approach came up short leaving himself a fried-egg lie in a fronting bunker.
Bruce got it onto the green but his par putt lipped out sending him to the playoff.
“I was in the trees all day (Saturday) so it was no surprise that I was in there again,” said Belbin.
“I drove the ball really well in Friday’s opening round. But on (Saturday) I kept hitting it inside the tree line. I wasn’t deep into the trees or anything but I had to hook and slice it around trees and I wasn’t getting up and down.”
Cardiff’s Dallas Cantera finished third — four shots behind Belbin and Bruce.
Highlands member John Gallimore easily won the amateur division — by seven shots — after rounds of 71-72.
The tournament honours the late Henry Martell, Highlands’ longtime former head pro and one of the best golfers of his generation. Martell won — to list just a few of his victories — 11 consecutive and 12 total Edmonton Amateurs, 11 Edmonton Opens, nine Alberta Amateurs, four Alberta Opens, the Ontario Open — as an amateur — and the Canadian Amateur and the Canadian PGA twice apiece.
In 1939 Martell was voted Canada’s golfer of the year.
In other tournament action,
Belvedere’s Jarrett Bossert tied for first in his age division and finished third overall in the McLennan Ross Junior Tour stop at Calgary’s Mackenzie Meadows. Bossert came right back in Carstairs to shoot a 73 which put him in a three-man playoff where he would end up tied for second behind Stettler’s Sam Hamelin who birdied the first extra hole.
The Derrick’s Kaitlyn Wingnean took the girl’s division at Carstairs by seven shots over her sister Alexa.
Kaitlyn was also the top Edmonton golfer in last week’s Sun Life Financial Alberta Ladies Amateur finishing 10th at the Red Deer Country Club.
There was also a three-man playoff at the McLennan Ross stop at Olds where Camrose’s Devin Kucy prevailed over the Derrick’s Nick Rimmer and Red Deer’s Cole Bergheim.
Two more holes-in-one at Glendale. ■ Don Schneider aced No. 13 with a 4-iron from 180 yards while Ken Landseidel knocked home a 9-iron from 125 yards on No. 4 for his fourth career ace.
At Raven Crest, Jim Schneider got his first hole-in-one when he connected with a 7-hybrid from 135 yards on No. 3.
RedTail’s No. 12 was the site for Ally Pirmohamed’s ace with a 9-iron from 162 yards.
At the Derrick, former Blackhawk superintendent Duane Sharpe aced No. 5 with a 4-iron from 201 yards.
And, Bryan Corbett got a hole-in-one at Sandpiper with an 8-iron from 110 yards on No. 17.
I couldn’t see it go in, but I knew it was going to be close. (The hole-in-one) was sure a nice way to finish the day.