US Open hopeful does the unthinkable during qualifying
For those of us fortunate enough to have done so, there is no greater feeling in golf than making a hole-in-one. Yet the odds of achieving such a momentous feat are always stacked against us, standing at an ambitious 12,000-1 for amateur golfers and 5000-1 for elite level players.
So how about making two aces in the same round?
And now add in the fact that those four strokes saved helped avoid a play-off by a single shot and secure a place in the next round of US Open qualifying.
It sounds like something out of a Hollywood script, but incredibly that’s exactly what Parker Coody pulled off when the college golfer did the unthinkable during a local qualifying event in his home state of Texas.
During his final round at Forest Creek where he started on the 10th hole, the grandson of 1971 Masters champion Charles Coody first aced the 160-yard 17th thanks to a pitching wedge and favourable wind conditions.
Later, at the 8th hole, the unthinkable. With 190 yards to the pin, Coody pulled out his 7-iron and took dead aim once again.
“That was nuts!” Coody told the Golf Channel afterwards.
“I just hit a good 7-iron, started it a little bit out right and let the wind just bring it in, and before I know it, it disappears! That was complete shock when it happened.”
Thanks to the pair of eagles, the University of Texas senior shot a 69 to secure one of the five qualifying spots and advance to the next stage of US Open qualifying. Had Coody finished just one shot worse, the Texan would have been forced to go through the trauma of a seven-way playoff to secure his qualification spot.
The US Open will be held at Brookline from June 16-19.
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George Cooper
A golf fanatic his entire life, George Cooper is NCG's man for all goings-on at the top level of the game, whether it's the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA or LIV Golf. He also looks after NCG's Twitter and Facebook accounts. George is a member of Woburn, but is not friends with Ian Poulter.
