I Was the Only Witness to Langer’s Hole-In-One

Yesterday after I get off the air here on The Whale, I went over to En-Joie to volunteer at the Dick's Sporting Goods Open. I was a walking scorer for Scott McCarron's Pro-Am team.

The team was made up of McCarron (who won the tournament last year) and four amateurs which included family members from the Stack family, owners of Dick's Sporting Goods, and employees of Dick's.

We were on our final hole of the day the par 4 18th. After Scott teed off and started making his way down to the amateur Tee Box, I walked up to the Tee Box to get a water out of the water cooler. At that point, I heard a ball land on the 17th green, and as I turn to see where the ball landed, I saw a flash of white by the hole.

I blinked and looked back at the green and I didn't see the ball sitting anywhere on the green or off the back of the green. I thought to myself 'I think that was a hole in one'.

The bleachers on 17 were empty because it was late in the day and it was the Pro-Am. Anybody that was there watching golf earlier in the day had either gone home or were in the party tent. Even the Marshall who was in the 18th.

Tee Box had walked down towards the amateur Tee Box to watch my team tee off. So he didn't see it either. I looked back at the group behind us. It was Bernhard Langer's group who were still on the 17th. Tee.

None of them were reacting to the hole-in-one.

They couldn't see it go in because there was a little knoll on the green right before the hole. So they probably saw it roll up over the Knoll and thought he must have been pretty close to the pin.

So I waited for the for amateurs to tee off.

Meanwhile, my team was going up the 18th Fairway without me. After all of Bernhard Langer's amateurs teed off, the Marshall from 18 came back up to the Tee Box. I told him what I thought I saw.

The two of us walked out onto the green on 17 and looked in the hole. Sure enough, there was the World Golf Hall of Famer's ball. I turned around as his team was still leaving the Tee Box and started pointing down towards the hole.

One of the amateurs asked if it went in, I yelled back, yes! The guy turned around and said, "holy S#%t Bernhard, you hit a hole-in-one." To which Bernhard Langer started raising his arms up in the air like Rocky Balboa.

After the Pro-Am was completed, and I was sitting at the walking scorer's shed, I saw Bernhard Langer walking across the putting green on his way to the players parking lot. I went over to him and congratulated him on the hole-in-one and told him I was the only witness.

He started laughing and asked me why I wasn't hooting and hollering and screaming? I told him I wasn't sure if the ball went in at first or if I was just imaging it, so I wanted to verify it first. He started laughing and thanked me again for congratulating him and told me next time to be more enthusiastic.

You've got to love the players on the PGA Champions Tour. The Dick's Sporting Goods Open is taking place today, tomorrow, and Sunday at En-Joie Golf Course in Endicott.