There were some pretty merry golfers at Sheffield club Abbeydale on Saturday night after two of its members holed in one at the tenth… playing in the same group.
HOLES IN ONE: Sunday June 26h
Vice-captain Andy Daykin (aged 68) and long-time playing partner Barry Connor (79) combined to create the almost-unheard-of feat. Quite what the other member of their three-ball – Andy’s son Chris – was thinking after watching his playing partners both ace the short par three is anyone’s guess. Needless to say he didn’t follow them in.
For 21-handicapper Andy it was his first hole in one while Barry, who plays off 22, had had one before at the 15th. However the odds of two golfers from the same three-ball doing it in successive shots is believed to be in the region of 20,000,000-1.
“The funny thing is both of us had a rubbish round,” admitted Andy. “I kept losing balls but to do something like that with your son watching made it just that bit more special.”
The hole-in-one tradition at Abbeydale is for the club to fill up a decanter with whiskey/whisky so there the reserves of club’s single malt were tested.
“People were already drinking it when we got back,” added Andy. “The captain was in the group behind and saw Barry’s so word had obviously got round.”
The duo were playing in a special captain’s and vice-captain’s medal and it was Barry who teed off first.
“Chris and I were still finishing off our sausage sandwich at the halfway house so we said to Barry he might as well tee off first and we were walking back as he hit his shot.
“I didn’t see it and just heard Barry shout: ‘It’s gone in. It’s gone in’. My eyesight isn’t the best and couldn’t see. The pin was also in an awkward position behind the bunker.
“I went next and hit an eight iron and it was it was heading right but landed in the fringe, kicked left and curled towards the pin. Then Chris started shouting that it had gone in but sometimes the ball can roll behind the pin and you just can’t tell. I didn’t want to celebrate until we got to the green.
“But it had and I couldn’t believe it. Just an incredible thing to happen.”
For Chris the hole was less memorable. Having hit his tee shot through the green he ended up taking a five. However he is one of a handful of golfers on the planet to have watched back-to-back aces.