By MIKE COLLINS
EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP – During Ocean City Thursday Senior Golf League play Aug. 7, Pete McInerney shot a hole-in-one on the 107-yard 15Th hole at Harbor Pines Golf Club.
I could not let this achievement go unreported. I was not there to see the exciting event. However, I was provided an excellent eyewitness account of the event by John Blady. According to Blady, “Pete teed up to hit a high slight draw as the suspense blew through the trees. Pete noticed this breeze and hit a knockdown shot under the wind that never got above 5 feet. The shot landed 40 yards in front of the green and tracked toward the green and the hole.
“Members of the foursome, Tom, Dom and me, watched the ball going toward the pin,” Blady continued. “When the ball dropped into the hole, we all jumped for joy. But wait, Pete never saw it go in since he thought the ball had stopped. A great shot and hole-in-one that Pete never saw!”
Dominic Scalfaro added, “That was such an exciting moment to witness a hole-in-one! I followed the ball the whole way as it disappeared in the hole. We all screamed and Pete turned around and said, ‘What?’”
Congratulations Pete McInerney on a rare achievement in golf.
How rare is a hole-in-one? The probability of the average amateur scoring a hole-in-one on a par 3 hole is 1 in 12,500. A professional golfer has about a 1 in 2,500 chance of getting an ace. The Ocean City Thursday Senior Golf League has had a several aces over the years. The last one was made in 2013 by Tom Gahr, who was in the foursome for McInerney’s ace.
An aside, the hole-in-one sealed McInerney’s win over his opponent, John Blady.
On Aug. 14, the cart-path-only sign went up and the number of members participating in matches went down. Only six foursomes began play on what would be a hot and humid day at Harbor Pines Golf Club. It was hotter than a blister bug in a pepper patch! Two players withdrew after nine holes.
Despite the heat, Ben Fong and Bob Pierce engaged in a tight A Division match. The Fongmeister was one stroke ahead with a 47 to Pierce’s 48 after nine holes. On the back nine, Fong shot a solid 43 to finish with 90 to better Pierce’s 92. Fong also won in match play 7 holes to 5 to take away 4 points in winning both stroke play and match play.
In another A Division match, Frank Mancini started strong with a birdie on hole number one. He also finished strong with another birdie on 18 to handily win his match against Jim Hoagland. Frank turned in an 80 for the round, which included a 3 over par 39 on the front nine. Hoagland ended with a 96. Mancini took home 4 points for the effort.
Other matches saw John Blady, Tom Szkaradnik, Mike Collins, Ron Venturi, Mike Bogdash, Glenn Levin, and Rick Shultz coming away winners and earning 4 points each for their effort.
Playoffs are around the corner with players jockeying for position. Standings are very tight and should remain so the rest of the season. Be sure to tune in next week to see how the standings change as the league moves toward the playoffs
Thursday Senior League
Leaderboard Aug. 14
Division A Points
John Blady 35
Ron Venturi 26
Frank Mancini 26
Ben Fong 25
Glenn Giveans 22
Bob Pierce 22
Division B Points
Glenn Levin 26
Rick Shultz 21
Mike Collins 19
Joe Szkaradnik 16
Joe Sheridan 15
Garth Moyle 15
