A lucky young golfer has sunk a hole in one – on his last-ever junior round – to scoop the tournament for his high school,
according to the PGA.
Klein Koltz, who studies at Lake Travis High School in Texas, played the hole with his final stroke of the competition. His hole in one, played on the 191-yard 12th at the Morris Williams Golf Course in Austin, represents a career-to-date best performance, securing the runners-up spot for the second consecutive year.
The swing came in sudden-death circumstances as Koltz was helping his school strive for second place in the closing stages of the Texas 5-A high school championships. The hole in one on the par-3 allowed Koltz and the team to take the lead and ultimately helped the team secure its silver medal spot.
The stroke was not only one of the most fortuitous of the competition, but also Koltz’s last swing of the club as a high school student before moving on to further study. His pending graduation means he will soon be moving into the ranks of university golf, with Sam Houston State University preparing to welcome the Texas youngster to their golf squad this year.
Sam Houston State University is based in Huntsville, Texas, and runs a PGA-accredited gold program where students can come to study golf business, management and personal development. The four and a half year degree program sees most alumni become professional players. With his hole in one performance, Koltz might already be well on his way.
The odds of shooting a hole in one stand at 1 in 12,500, making it a once in a lifetime event for a select band of weekend golfers. Not many golfers will ever lay claim to the achievement marked by Koltz in his final high school round.
Terravita Scottsdale Country Club in Arizona, which has hosted PGA tour events and US Open qualification rounds, often hosts hole-in-one and closest-to-the-pin competitions for professional players. Some tour events even offer players the chance to win a new car or a cash prize for landing a hole in one, such is the rarity of the event.
The hole in one is the most prized achievement in golf. To secure a hole in one in competition, and in a sudden death playoff format, is a remarkable achievement. The strike confirmed Lake Travis’ second consecutive medal in the boys competition, after Koltz’s stunning display to secure second a year earlier. As for the future, there is no doubt Koltz could have a promising career ahead of him.
The Lake Travis high school girls, who were also in action at the Morris Williams course in Austin, managed to go one better than the boys. Their victory means the girls championship will be heading back to the school along with a silver medal for the boys competition. But with Koltz landing a shot that Tiger Woods would be happy with, Koltz can’t be too disappointed the boys didn’t bring back the victory.
Image source: http://media.cmgdigital.com/shared/lt/lt_cache/thumbnail/960/img/photos/2012/12/12/55/1f/rbz-Morris-Williams-Closure.jpg
