The European Tour is back. Their social channels have become regular stops for exotic golf performances of strength, speed, and endurance, whether it’s slamming golf balls into racing cars or all-day hole-in-one challenges.
This week in Valderrama they brought together four of their players from four different continents to try to break a Guinness world record for the fastest golf hole played. The record was just a tick under 28 seconds. This wasn’t the first European Tour rodeo for this speed stunt, and they did this four-man relay in Valderrama before heading two different countries against each other.
This week’s foursome included Sean Crocker from the United States, Min Woo Lee from Australia, Wilco Nienaber from South Africa and Nicolai Hojgaard from Denmark. Perhaps the greatest hitting pro on the market, Nienaber sensibly took on the driving duties, while the sweary American Crocker hit the approach blows. It took a lot of tedious repetition and resulted in lots of moans and swear words, but these world-class professionals were starting to get the hang of it. After a few close discussions, they broke the old record.
Nienaber’s length is certainly an asset, but the crux of this operation is the approach shot. It needs to be stuffed and converted to Crocker, who hit wedges with some spin that made the process longer.
Is that the most important achievement? No. Do you at least once ask yourself why this exists? Yes sir. But it makes for a fun watch, and it certainly is an accomplishment that you and three of your hack buddies couldn’t manage in your local location.