Kevin Na sets a PGA record of 16 strokes on a par-4
Kevin Na smashed the worst score on a par-4 hole in the history of golf on April 14, 2011, in the opening round of Valero Texas Open. He compiled a 16-over par on the par-4 ninth.
The South Korean teed off from the front and missed a shot on the opening hole to card the first bogey of the day, which was nothing compared to what he was going to do on the ninth hole.
The 27-year old took his aim for the tee shot and hit a driver. The ball rocketed up in the air and sailed into the woods on the left side of the fairway, which itself was clear from traps. The player declared the shot unplayable and decided to tee off again,
but with no success. He once again smashed the shot into the woods, but this time, he decided to play it.
The South Korean made 14 attempts on the ball and after spending a long time in the woods made his way to the green, where he rolled a careful putt to hole it in 16 shots.
Na had his name written on the wall of shame of golf after this performance.
However, he is not the first one to carve such a bad score. Before him, Tommy Armour held the honours, when he signed for a 23-over par on a single hole during the 1927 Shawnee Open.
Few years later, Ray Ainsley matched the same score in the 1938 U.S. Open and only a few years before, John Daly made an 18-over par during the 1998 Bay Hill Invitational.
The record is phenomenal, but the player, who made it, was devastated over his performance. He said, “It's all a blur. I got done with the hole and I said (to my caddie), 'I think I made between a 10 and a 15”.
Na tried to undo the loss and picked up three birdies, but could not relish much success. He wrapped up the day with a score of 8-over par 80 and he is more than likely to lose the cut after the second round.
Despite the effort, the player could not match the highest score of the day, which was made by Daniel Summerhays. The American coloured his scorecard in shades of orange, which is a colour to represent bogeys on the PGA tour and compiled an aggregate of
11-over par.
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