THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 26, 1996 TAG: 9607260627
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 42 lines
Ryder Randolph thought he had hit a good shot on the par-4 No. 17 at Sleepy Hole Golf Course Wednesday, but was disappointed when he did not see his ball near the green.
His disappointment didn't last long. The ball was found in the last place he would have looked - the hole.
The double-eagle, golf's rarest shot, is the first anyone could remember at the 322-yard dogleg right, according to Sleepy Hole pro J.B. SanGiacomo.
``It's very unusual to hear about a 1 on a par four,'' SanGiacomo said. ``You read about it every once in a while, but they're few and far between.''
Randolph, 18, is a recent graduate of Chesapeake's Western Branch High School, where he was MVP of the golf team. He said he hit a fade over the tops of the trees that line the right side of the tee box, then was bewildered when he could not find his ball.
Randolph and his playing partners asked the group ahead of them if they had seen a ball.
``They said, `We found one in the hole,' '' Randolph said.
It was Randolph's - a Precept EV Extra Spin, number 00. No one actually saw it go in the hole; you can't see the green from the tee box, and the previous group had been behind the green looking for a lost ball when Randolph hit.
But when the group removed the flag to putt out, they were perplexed to find a ball. Who would leave a ball in the hole?
``When they said they found a ball in the hole I was like, `No, that couldn't be right,' '' Randolph said. ``I couldn't believe it actually went in the hole.''
It was the first hole-in-one for the 7-handicapper. He parred No. 18 to complete the best nine of his life - a 35 - and his 76 total was his second-best round.
And included the best shot of his life. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Ryder Randolph found it hard to believe he had aced a par-4. by CNB