Cornwall Golf Union
Albatrosses for Harry and Keith
An albatross in golf occurs when you complete a hole in three strokes under par. This extraordinary feat can happen in only two ways: scoring a hole-in-one on a par-4 hole, or completing a par-5 hole in just two strokes. Well whilst quite unusual it has occurred twice in Cornish golf of late.
First County Boys team member Harry Jolliff (St Enodoc) was playing at Perranporth in the SWCGA Boys Championship. In his morning round he made an eagle three at the par 5 second hole but in the afternoon holed his second shot at the very same hole for a two and an albatross. Quite unbelievably he had played the hole in 5 under par over the two rounds.
Then yesterday at Carlyon Bay club member Keith Martin was playing in the Senior President's Day. Competition winner Keith holed his second shot at the par 5 15th hole to also claim albatross status.
Well done to both players - Something they will both surely never forget!
The term "albatross" has fascinating origins rooted in golf's bird-themed scoring tradition. According to Scottish Golf History, the first known reference to "albatross" appeared in a British newspaper in 1929, though the term had likely been in use for some time before then. The name perfectly captures the rarity and majesty of this score – just as albatross birds are magnificent but seldom seen, scoring three under par is a breathtaking but incredibly uncommon achievement.
Seemingly the mathematical reality for an albatross is that only a small percentage of golfers, less than 10 percent, ever reach a par-5 in two. That means 90 percent of golfers don't have a chance of making one.
Created by intelligentgolf version 10.1.2.
