‘I just dropped the club and held my head in my hands’
It’s golf’s holy grail. But Craig Passmore didn’t just break the elusive 60 barrier, he crashed through it in style.
Needing to birdie the last at the Players Club, near Bristol, the Torquay teenager holed out with a wedge from 45 yards for eagle to set his signature not on a 59, but a phenomenal 58.
Playing in an Order of Merit event last month, the 17-year-old put together his masterclass on a blend of white and yellow tees at the par 72 Codrington course.
It brought nine birdies and three eagles as he stormed out in 30 and returned in 28.
All the more remarkable was that the +2 handicapper dropped a shot at the 4th, before embarking on a run that saw him play the last 14 holes in 14-under-par.
That is a once in a lifetime round, just one of them days where everything went my way and went right ⛳️🤯🎉@SGSFiltonGolf pic.twitter.com/wV1vGDTptf
— Craig Passmore (@CraigPassmore3) November 6, 2019
“I just dropped the club and held my head in my hands,” England Golf Boys’ squad member Passmore revealed after his wedge found the bottom of the cup.
“My previous best score was a round of 7-under par. To then come in with a round that was 14-under par is surreal.”
Level par after dropping that shot, Passmore went on a tear with two birdies and two eagles over the next five holes.
He then birdied every hole from 11 to 15, before picking up yet another at the penultimate hole and then finishing in such amazing style at the last.
“It was just one of those days when almost everything went my way. I say almost because I bogeyed the fourth hole after a three-putt.
“At that point I just decided to go for it. I only had 21 putts in my round, which is ridiculous. I couldn’t believe how it turned out. Nine birdies and three eagles is mad.
“After my bogey I immediately birdied the next two and then eagled the 7th by holing my second shot from 60 yards.”
On that amazing end, Passmore added: “I knew a birdie would give me a 59. To then hole my second shot again from about 45 yards was unreal.”
England Golf squad picture courtesy of Leaderboard Photography
Steve Carroll
A journalist for 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long. A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A's prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.
Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men's Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.
A part of NCG's Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He currently floats at around 11.
Steve plays at Close House, in Newcastle, and York GC, where he is a member of the club's matches and competitions committee and referees the annual 36-hole scratch York Rose Bowl.
Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NTCJ exams at Darlington College of Technology.
What's in Steve's bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; TaylorMade Stealth 2 irons; TaylorMade Hi-Toe, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.
