Is this the luckiest tee shot of the year?
Thomas Detry’s second round was set to unravel when he was on the right end of an outrageous piece of fortune in the Nedbank Golf Challenge.
The Belgian had already hit one in the water at the 17th when his second drive was heading the same way.
But a kindly wind sock then got in the way and, after an uncomfortable wait on the tee, he was told that he wouldn’t have to hit five off the tee.
In the end he made par with his second ball for one of the great double-bogeys of all time but them bogeyed the last for a one-under 71.
A few holes earlier the 26-year-old, who has been touted as one of the next big things, was again fortunate when another tee shot could have ended up in some undergrowth but somehow stayed out.
Halfway through the tournament and Detry is in third spot, just four off the lead but it could have been plenty more.
One of the luckiest breaks we've ever seen 🤯
Hitting a flagpole to not go into the water! #NGC2019 #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/DJY1MW7Niy
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) November 15, 2019
Last month at the Dunhill Links amateur Jeremy Ord used most of the Kingsbarns property to almost hole-in-one at the short 13th which, I think, he then missed the resulting birdie putt.
One VERY lucky golf shot 🍀😳#DunhillLinks pic.twitter.com/PsoxuznUBQ
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) September 28, 2019
And then there was this from Louis Oosthuizen, who Detry trails by two in South Africa, at the grand stage of the 16th at Augusta in 2016.
JB Holmes was close enough but then Oosthuizen used the American’s ball to perfect effect for one of the oddest moments in Masters history.
Watch @Louis57TM make a hole-in-one off J.B. Holmes golf ball on No. 16 #themasters https://t.co/gQUlT7t62K
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 10, 2016
Mark Townsend
Been watching and playing golf since the early 80s and generally still stuck in this period. Huge fan of all things Robert Rock, less so white belts. Handicap of 8, fragile mind and short game