Every golfer wants to hit that one in a million shot. Well, try odds of 17 million to one. Cian Casey and Gavin Ryan defied the golfing Gods as they struck back to back holes in one at Hollywood Lakes Golf Club last Sunday.
The pair were standing on the tee box of the 129-yard par-3 4th hole which plays slightly uphill to a tricky two-tiered green during the nine-hole winter league. Little did they know that after their teammates Jack Ryan and Cian Warren had played that they would deliver something unbelievable.
It was a first ace for both players and it couldn’t have come in more dramatic circumstances. Cian’s 9-iron approach kicked back in off the right side of the green and looked devilishly close to the cup which wasn’t in plain sight from the lower tee box.
Eager to sprint to the green to see if his dream had been realised he egged Gavin to get his shot over with.
“It’s mental! It made no sense whatsoever,” said 24-year-old Cian who only took up golf recently and is a former greenkeeper at the club playing off a handicap of 24. “I went and he went right after me so going back to back was the maddest part about it. We went mental, it’s hard to even play on after it.
“I had a hole in one in pitch and putt but never got even close to one in golf.
“I wasn’t fully sure because the green is uphill and one of the lads said it definitely was, then Gavin ran up and said they were both in and sure we didn’t believe him. So we were all running up the hill and then went mad,” added Casey who won the category prize on the day.”
Both players were overwhelmed by the heroes welcome they received when they went upstairs for a “sambo” in the clubhouse afterwards.
“Everyone was coming in, even before we had come in there was lads in the clubhouse who had heard about it. It was mad, people were coming in and shaking our hands. It didn’t really feel like we had done anything special,” said Gavin who is 28 years old and plays off an impressive 5.9 index.
Gavin sent a beautiful pitching wedge right over the top of the flagstick and as the ball spun back down the slope he was also wide eyed at the prospect of having his first hole in one.
“It didn’t really kick in until we sat down after the nine holes! You couldn’t really see Cian’s go in the hole and he was saying ‘hurry up and hit the ball’ because he wanted to run up and see. When I hit mine the lads started walking and I thought mine looked good as well going over the flag and spinning back down. It was gas.
“Bit more pressure on my shot, the lads were talking on my backswing! I thought Cian wouldn’t be too happy that I stole his thunder but he said it made it even better so we will remember that moment forever.
There are no pictures on the scorecard and the two aces proved that there is more than one way to get the ball in the hole.
“Even the fact the two shots were different, we hit different parts of the green it was unbelievable, I’m sure it’s in the millions to one.”
Gavin was quick to put his Titleist Prov1 back in the bag for safekeeping in exchange for a Dunlop. And he was lucky that he did as he lost his next tee shot and naturally scratched the hole. But not even the golfing Gods could bring him down from the highest of highs.
“I stood on the next tee and my heart rate was through the roof. I ruined the round and the scorecard I lost the ball so had to scratch it! I was lucky I swapped golf balls.”
Leave a comment