By all rights, either Chris Stroud or Braden Bailey should be the lead to this week’s golf column. For a local amateur to pull off something more noteworthy than the above-mentioned duo’s efforts last week should pretty much be unthinkable.
Well, Tommy Prejean of Port Neches authored the unthinkable when he recorded his second double eagle/albatross in a span of 10 weeks. To get that feat in somewhat of a perspective, consider that a very small percentage of players on the PGA Tour have managed even one albatross in their entire career.
Odds on making a double eagle — usually a 2 on a par 5 — have been listed from a million-to-one all the way up to six million-to-one. An estimate in one golf publication says that in a given year there will be 40,000 holes in one compared to 200 double eagles.
The odds on the same player celebrating two of the rare birds in a given year, much less two within three months, may be incalculable. It’s about like have the winning ticket in the Power Ball lottery twice in a matter of weeks.
Prejean, however, defied all golfing convention when he struck again last week on the 11th hole at Henry Homberg Golf Club in Beaumont. Using the same 4 hybrid that he swung for his March 13 alabatross, Prejean holed his second shot on the par 5 from 180 yards.
The distance, by the way, was virtually the same as the 4 hybrid second shot that rolled in at Zaharias. Witnesses this time were Jimmy Fetters, Rod Connerly and Jimmy Bean.
CHIP SHOTS
Chris Stroud, who has been struggling on the greens, broke out a new putter this past week at the Dean and Deluca Invitational at Colonial in Fort Worth and the results were impressive. Not only did the new flatstick help Stroud to his low round of the season — a 64 on Saturday — it even enabled him to outdo the amazing Jordan Spieth on Colonial’s greens. Spieth, who seemingly made everything he looked at enroute to winning, was at 2.279 in the PGA’s strokes gained per round putting stat. Stroud’s SGP, meanwhile, was 2.583, which was No. 1 for the week. That helped the PN-G ex to a T13 and a jump of 13 places in Fed Ex Cup points to 121. He also pocketed $136,000 to boost his earnings in an up-and-down year to $508,124. Stroud, after playing a grueling seven consecutive weeks, plans to take some time away from the tour to recharge. As of now, his thought is to return for Tiger Woods’ Quicken Loans Invitational at Congressional Country Club outside Washington D.C. June 23-26 . . . Braden Bailey, after being the subject of some lavish quotes from Baylor coach Mike McGraw in this space last week, acquitted himself well in the NCAA championships at Eugene, Ore. His Baylor teammates, however, did not do so well. The freshman from PN-G shot rounds of 72-73-70 for a five-over-par 215 to stand T36 in a field of 156 players. He didn’t get to play a fourth round, however, because Baylor was well outside the cut which trimmed the field from 30 teams to 15 teams after 54 holes. Baylor’s other players were plus 11, plus 12, plus 15 and plus 18, as the Bears finished 27th out of 30 teams . . . PN-G senior-to-be Karlei Hemler, who had not played in competition since the state high school tournament, claimed first place last weekend in the Mizuno-USSSA Battle at the Lakes at Gray Plantation in Lake Charles. Hemler shot rounds of 79-72 for a 36-hole total of 151 . . . The Senior 50 Plus Game at Babe Zaharias was played in a blind-draw, two best ball format on Monday. On the front nine, the team of Tom LeTourneau, Paul Flores, John Ramsey and E.T. Robicheaux won with minus 5. That was also the winning score on the back for the team of Craig Fontenot, Ed Hetzel, Jim Cooper and Don MacNeil . . . The Super Saturday Game at The Babe also employed a best two-ball format. The team of Fontenot, Thad Borne, Larry Johnson and Don MacNeil won the front in minus 3 and tied the back at even with the foursome of Rick Pritchett, Paul Flores, Lee Bertrand and Dan Flood . . . The Thursday Senior Game at the Babe used a Florida Scramble format and ended in a tie. Posting 17 under was the fivesome of Pritchett, Earl Richard, Bertrand, Larry Rogers and Ben Thornton and the fivesome of Adam Noel, Harrell Guidry, Bob Barnes, Gene Harrison and Dwayne Morrison. Closest to the pin winners were Bob Putbress (No. 2), Tommy Duhon (No. 7), Pritchett (No. 12) and Mark Petry (No. ) . . . The Babe Zaharias DogFight ended in a three-way tie for first. Accumulating 18 points was the team of Mike Lansford, Gary Tompkins, Charles Leard and Bud Auffurth, the foursome of Craig Fontenot, Duhon, Roger Baumer and Harrison and the team of Buddy Sepeda, Gary Fontenot, Cole Lee and Jobie Irvine. Closest to the pin winners were Lansford (No. 2), Sepeda (No. 7), Dwayne Benoit (No. 12) and Gary Fontenot (No. 15) . . . Area juniors are reminded that the opening event in a nine-tournament STPGA summer schedule is set for Monday at Sunset Grove Country Club in Orange. Players can enter at www.stpgajuniorgolf.com/summer-series.
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