Orrico, PGA, verified the scorecard and Willis’ repu- tation as a well-respected and honourable man. 24. LOWEST COMPETI- TIVE ROUND Although the course was only 5 002 yards par 70, Homero Blancas carded a 55 in the final round of the 1962 Premier Golf Invita- tional, making it the lowest competitive round ever. Blancas showed Golf Digest readers how to make more birdies, too. Among active PGA Tour pros through the end of 2025, just 11 had won 11 or more titles in their careers. The idea then of winning 11 straight starts – and 18 in a season – borders on incredulity. Even more remarkable is the story By- ron Nelson would tell Golf Digest about walking away from the game afterwards. 27. LONGEST ACE A 447-yard hole-in-one? On a course called Miracle Hill? Too good to be true, right? Well, we chronicled Bob Mitera’s one and only career ace a year after the 5-foot-6 college golfer pulled it off 26. CONSECUTIVE PGA TOUR WINS on Oct 7, 1965, and revis- ited it in 2001, talking to a surviving witness. The hole was originally documented at 444-yards and was re- measured in 1976 and found to be 447. It was downhill and downwind. 28. WORLDWIDE WINS Roberto De Vicenzo won more pro tournaments worldwide (231) than any golfer. Yet he might be best remembered for the one he didn’t win – the 1968 Mas- ters and the scorecard error that kept him out of a play- off. The Argentine seemed at peace with it when we
Most Weeks At No. 1 If Scottie Scheffler can remain World No 1 through the end of 2025, he’ll have held it for 172 weeks in his career. That will mean he’s only 511 more weeks (almost 10 years) away from matching Tiger Woods’ 683 total. 25
caught up with him that summer.
30. SHOOTING AGE LEFTY AND RIGHTY
31. MOST ROUNDS IN A YEAR Averaging around 3.4 rounds per day – all walking for a total of 13 557 kilometres travelled by foot – retired IBM executive Barry Gib- bons played 1 235 rounds in Austin, Texas in 2020 where he’s a member at The Hills at Lakeway. He'd originally planned to play 1 234 be- cause it sounded better, but he couldn’t resist one last round on New Year’s Eve.
29. CONSECUTIVE US AMATEURS To play in the US Amateur is the pinnacle of many golfers’ career. To play in it 33 straight times? You need to be an ageless won- der like William Campbell. The winner in 1964, the late Campbell played in the US- GA’s oldest championship on 37 occasions overall be- ginning in 1941.
Jim Kaat is in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, but that’s somehow not his greatest accomplishment as an athlete. Instead, it’s shooting his age (75, 70) as both a righty and a lefty. Kaat is naturally left-hand- ed, and struggles with his short game had him trying things out from the other side.
GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA 93
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2025
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