The most thrilling hole of match play you will ever see
Match play golf is often dramatic but you wouldn’t believe this scene if it was in a film script.
In the heat of their English Men’s Amateur Championship last 64 battle at Woodhall Spa, Harrison Ottley-Woodd and Jack Cope halved the par-4 16th in hole-out eagles.
That’s right, they slam dunked one after the other to tie the hole. What are even the odds of that?
Cotswold Hill’s Ottley-Woodd was first with the heroics. He’d already eagled the 15th, itself a par 4, to get back to one down, before proceeding to fire a wedge from 115 yards into the hole.
He then had to watch dumbstruck as Cope somehow managed to find the bottom of the cup himself from 98 yards for what was surely a near impossible half.
It kept Cope narrowly in front and he closed out the match at the 18th. It was a fabulous early birthday present for the Players Club stalwart, who turns 21 today (Friday).
“I’ve never seen such a thing before – or even heard of it happening,” said Cope. “Luckily I wasn’t the one in his (Ottley-Wood’s) position.
“I don’t know how I’d have felt. I actually said to him that I was surprised two balls could fit in the hole with the sponge insert at the bottom of the cup!”
Have you ever seen anything like that before? Let me know in the comments, or tweet me.
- Related: ‘It’s almost invisible’: How Woodhall Spa tackled golf’s flagstick dilemma
- Related: This golfer’s scorecard needs to be seen to be believed
- Related: Here it is – the most ridiculous par save in the history of golf
Follow NCG on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram – and don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel for the latest equipment and golf course reviews and exclusive interviews.
Picture courtesy of Leaderboard
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.
