PGA Tour Player Scores '18 Over Par' on One Hole... A Look at Historic Golf Disasters

Park Gyeol, Misses Winning Competition with Quadruple Bogey at Maekcol·Monapark Open
Many Famous Tour Players Also Experienced Nightmares
Tommy Armour, with 25 Career Wins, Recorded an '18 Over Par' on One Hole at the 1927 Shoney Open

[Image source=Pixabay]

[Asia Economy Reporter Byun Seon-jin] Park Gyeol (26), a player on the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour, had a nightmare experience at the 15th hole (par 4) of Birch Hill Golf Club in Daegwallyeong-myeon, Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon-do, where the McCol·Monapark Open was held in early last month. After going back and forth between the bunker in front of the green and the rough, she barely holed out in 7 strokes. But that was not the end. It was ruled a violation of the rules because she pressed her foot several times to get a stance in the sloped bunker. As a result, Park Gyeol received 2 penalty strokes and ended up recording a 'quintuple bogey' with 5 strokes over the regulation score.

On most weekend golfers' scorecards, numbers of '4' or higher are rarely seen. There is an implicit agreement not to record anything above a double par (also called 'yangpa').

However, there is no such leniency in official competitions, whether professional or amateur. Because of this, even professional players sometimes have to write double-digit scores on their scorecards, resulting in a 'disaster.'

The PGA Tour, where top professional players from around the world gather, is no exception. Here are some of the worst scores that have occurred on the PGA Tour, where even the best pros have no choice but to struggle with unfortunate situations.

Though it’s a battle with nature... water, bunkers, trees, and strong winds are unforgiving

In 1958, Hans Murell, who participated in the Bing Crosby National Pro-Am, had to write '19' on the scorecard for the par-3 16th hole. He lost 16 strokes on a single hole. Everything went wrong as his ball got stuck in a snow-covered forest on a hill. This is the second-highest score in PGA Tour history. This tournament was also a nightmare for Dale Douglas. In the 1963 tournament, after a sliced shot landed on the beach, he had to take 19 shots to get out of the sand and reach the hole.

Korean-American Charlie Wi was also not free from humiliating experiences. During the 2012 Transition Championship, after a missed shot on the par-5 5th hole, he fought with trees in the forest and only left the hole after 13 strokes.

[Image source=Pixabay]

In the 1986 St. Jude Classic, water tormented Gary McCord. On the 16th hole, all five of his approach shots landed in the water, resulting in 13 over par. John Daly, known as the original long hitter, hit three shots toward the Pacific Ocean on the 18th hole (par 5) of the 2000 US Open, and even dropped his ball into a nearby backyard, finishing the hole with 9 over par.

Billy Casper, the 1970 Masters champion, recorded 11 over par on the 16th hole (par 3) of the same tournament in 2005 and eventually withdrew.

There are also cases where the ball was easily placed on the green but bad luck due to wind occurred. Ed Dougherty succeeded in reaching the green in 3 strokes on the 17th hole (par 4) of the 1990 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. However, a strong wind blowing at 40 miles per hour (64 km/h) was the problem. He was only able to finish the hole after 11 putts.

Although many professional players have experienced frustration like this, it is nothing compared to golf legend Tommy Armour, who won 25 PGA Tour titles in total. In the second round of the 1927 Shon Open, he recorded an astonishing 23 strokes on the 17th hole (par 5). His 18 over par is the worst record in PGA history. In golf, scores of 15 over par or more are called 'Archaeopteryx.' He had won the US Open held a week earlier. After the round, Armour said, "I probably got the yips (a condition where muscle spasms occur due to pressure)."

Sometimes, a bizarre scene unfolds where players get confused about how many strokes it took to get the ball on the green after hitting so many shots. Korean-American player Kevin Na finished the 9th hole (par 4) of the first round of the 2011 Valero Texas Open in 16 strokes. His tee shot curved to the right and went into the trees, and his provisional ball also went into the woods, requiring 13 shots just to get out. Kevin Na even told his caddie, "I don't even know how many strokes I've taken." Eventually, the organizers themselves got confused and initially announced the final score as 15 strokes, then corrected it to 16 strokes in a humorous incident.

Korean pros are no exception... the saying 'Even monkeys fall from trees' applies

Domestic players are no exception. Kim Si-woo recorded 13 strokes on the par-3 11th hole at the teeing area (1st shot) and drop zone (4th shot) at the World Golf Championships (WGC) FedEx St. Jude Invitational last year, hitting the water five times. A score of 13 on a par-3 hole is the highest since the PGA Tour started keeping statistics in 1983. Kim Si-woo erased the bitterness last year by recording par on the 11th hole in all rounds 1 to 3 this year’s tournament.

There is growing support for the view that such 'catastrophic' cases in the professional world are just simple incidents. Even 'Golf Emperor' Tiger Woods struggled at the 12th hole (par 3) of the 2020 Masters Tournament, hitting the ball into the water three times and sending it into a bunker, eventually holing out in 10 strokes. Tiger Woods, who has won the Masters five times, finished the tournament tied for 38th place with a septuple bogey (7 over par).