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Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life
by Tom Kelley
The second major of the year in professional golf is being contested at Mamaroneck, New York. Winged Foot is the sight of this year's U. S. Open, which is not just a professional tournament, but also the national championship of our country in golf. One round is now in the books and, as usual, the greatest golfers in the world aren't exactly setting the course on fire. Sub par rounds are not the norm at the Open like they are for other Tour stops. This is the U. S. Open and the course is to play tough.
Such is not always the case, though. On this date, back in 1976, the open was played at the Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York. Curtis Strange was the defending champion that year and the field was, predictably, filled with the elite of golf from around the world. Every now and then one or two holes at an Open venue will be played at or near par by the majority of the field. However, thirty years ago today one hole got absolutely embarrassed.
That year, just as they will today, they were playing the second round of the open on this date. The sixth hole, a par three, became the site of U. S. Open history as Jerry Pate, Doug Weaver, Nick Price and Mark Wiebe all registered holes-in-one during the second round. That had never happened before in any professional golf tournament. That's four aces on one hole in the same round. Oddly, the two name golfers of that group, Price and '76 Open Champ Pate, failed to make the cut while the two journeymen, Wiebe and Weaver finished the tournament.
So, what are the odds of such a feat? As far as I know, it has not been duplicated since on any of the professional tours in the U. S. Will it ever happen again? It could. Three men have now hit 714 or more home runs which was once considered unreachable. Try this one out for size. No one will ever do this again. Almost two thousand years ago a man was crucified that all the sins of every generation before Him and after Him might be forgiven. No one did it before this man and no one has done it since.
"For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him." Romans 5:6-9 Oh yes, someday four golfers will all ace the same hole in the same round of a professional golf tournament. But Christ only had to die once. Job done.
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...He was the Minister of the Minorsville Christian Church located near Stamping Ground, KY.
...Becky and Tom have three children; John, single and in worship ministry in Nicholasville, Kentucky; Sean, married (Jennifer, elementary school teacher) with twins (Grace and Patrick, b.d. 10/31/04) and regional director of Papa John's Pizza in Central KY; Kara, married (Vince Taylor, prison guard) and working with Hospice East in Winchester, KY.
...Tom went to be with the Lord on November 13, 2009 after a lengthy battle with cancer. If you have been touched by Tom's writings please send an email to Tom's son at jkelley@catalystchristian.net
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