Golf Digest - June 2022

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MIND / THE FRINGE

The Best Bad Golfer

The story of Rowan McCarthy’s miraculous ‘Holebatross’

By Alex Myers

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golfdigestme.com

june 2022

yond Blue, an Australian mental-health support organisation, through a charity golf event he helps run with friends. “A lot of people are saying I should have been a dairy farmer,” McCarthy says, “because I’m milking it so much.” Milk away, Rowan, because according to DoubleEagleClub.org, which has tracked albatross-related feats for a quarter-century, McCarthy is only the 22nd person (a list that includes legendary UCLA men’s basketball coach John Wooden) to officially record this rare double in one round. However, the site’s founder, Michael Christensen, says that McCarthy has by far the highest handicap — although he is down to a 17 — to pull it off. “That’s absolutely amazing to think about,” McCarthy says. “But for me, golf is about the social aspect. I can play with people I’ve never met, and at the end of the round you’re best friends.” Now, in me, he has met another friend from across the world, albeit a jealous one. PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY NEIL JAMIESON

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sually, I’m the one doIng all the research before an interview, but in this case, Rowan McCarthy had done his homework on me, and he knew to keep quiet. Despite being an avid golfer for two decades, I’ve never made a hole-in-one, something I bitterly note in my Golf Digest writer bio. “I saw on your profile that you don’t have one,” McCarthy said as we were wrapping up our call. “But I decided to do the right thing and not say anything.” Appreciate that, Rowan. Then again, the 32-year-old holds bragging rights over just about everyone who has ever played golf. Not even Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus have done what McCarthy did earlier this year. I’m not talking about installing commercial air-conditioning units like the mechanical engineer does at his day job. McCarthy in a Perth Golf Network event. Under didn’t just make a hole-in-one on the a modified Stableford format, McCarpar-3 12th (7-iron from 185 yards) at thy’s 39 points (his 84 was the third-best Perth’s Wembley Golf Course in Janu- score of his life) made him an easy winary — he added an even rarer albatross ner — in the B-flight, of course. three holes later at the par-5 Luck has always been on 15th (5-iron from 202 yards). McCarthy’s side, from winAlex Myers The odds of pulling off ning raffles as a kid to claimhas never had such an unfathomable douing a big poker tournament a hole-on-one ble have been estimated in college. None of those and probably at 72 billion to 1, but that accomplishments, though, never will. doesn’t tell the full story. came with the notoriety of his You see, McCarthy did this “holebatross”. McCarthy says as a 20-handicap, a weekmore than 40 media outlets end hacker who picked up have contacted him. “People the game after moving from were ringing me to celebrate, Ireland to Australia five and I’ve been getting recogyears ago. He looked like one nised at pubs,” McCarthy making two triple bogeys and a double says. “When I went back to work, it was bogey during that magical five-hole the talk of the office. It was pretty cool.” stretch. Anyone can get lucky once. McCarthy is trying to capitalise on (Well, other than me, apparently.) But his notoriety through an Instagram acto get that lucky twice? Within an hour? count “Shank Magic” that pokes fun at It’s nothing short of miraculous. his good fortune — he describes himself McCarthy’s feat — his friends refer to as “the world’s best worst golfer.” He it as a “holebatross” — even occurred also hopes to raise more money for Be-