It's one and done for these Algonquin, Westborough high golfers ... but not how you think
The perfect stroke. It’s a golfers dream.
In a sport known for flaws and mistakes, two high school golfers from the MetroWest area recently achieved perfection.
On Aug. 30, Aaron Schwartz collected his first ever hole-in-one before Brennan Rice followed suit five days later with his first ever ace.
“I was probably the most excited I’ve been in my entire life,” Schwartz, 16, said.
“I basically had a permanent smile for the rest of the round,” Rice, 17, said.
The holes-in-one were an encouraging sign for the pair of teenagers heading into the fall season – but perhaps a better omen was them avoiding their respective bills on the 19th hole.
Nevertheless, let’s break down the pair of perfect golf shots.
Brennan Rice, Algonquin Regional High School
COURSE: The Ledges Golf Club (York, Maine)
HOLE: No. 14 (131-yard Par 3)
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CLUB: Pitching wedge
SHOT: Normally, Rice hits a baby draw (right-to-left shot for right-handed golfers), but this time the Algonquin junior hit a baby fade (left to right). The green had some undulation on the first half before the putting surface sloped down to finish. So when his ball flew straight toward the pin, Rice couldn’t tell where it ended up. “We knew there was chance,” he said.
REACTION: Riding up to the green with his dad, Neil, Rice hopped out of the golf cart quickly. As he ran to the hole, Rice’s father told him to wait so he could record a video on his phone. “He got a video and I was shaking picking up the ball,” Rice said. “It was surreal because I never imagined getting a hole-in-one.”
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AFTERMATH: Sharing the moment with his father was special for Rice since his dad taught him how to play golf five years ago. Rice proceeded to share the exciting news with his teammates before the video was posted on the Algonquin golf team Instagram account. And the final reward for the hole-in-one? “The Club is making a plaque and sending it to my house,” Rice said.
Aaron Schwartz, Westborough High School
COURSE: Westborough Country Club (Westborough, Massachusetts)
HOLE: No. 7 (150-yard Par 3)
CLUB: Pitching wedge
SHOT: From the tee box way above the green on the seventh hole, Schwartz could see the entire putting surface. The Westborough High junior hit his pitching wedge a little fat – not on the screws – but one of his teammates yelled “go in” as a joke. “It landed in the hole,” Schwartz said. “It didn’t roll – it landed straight in the hole.”
REACTION: Initially, it took Schwartz a few seconds to realize what he just accomplished. He didn’t see the ball go in, but heard the sound of the pin. “We all started just looking at each other,” Schwartz said as the rest of his foursome, two of his coaches and one of the Rangers’ captains were also on the tee box. “We weren’t really sure what was going on. I didn’t have a huge freak out because I was kind of just dumbfounded.”
AFTERMATH: Schwartz was the first person to get to the hole and collect his prize. Following a few pictures, the right-handed golfer was a bit rattled. “My hands were just shaking,” he said. “I couldn’t control it.” The next hole, he topped his drive 30 yards before going bogey and double-bogey to finish his round. No matter the final score, he surprised his mom and aunt in the car with the good news before calling his father to tell him about his first-ever ace. “A lot of screaming,” Schwartz said. Like Rice, Schwartz will receive a plaque to remember his golf feat.
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Tommy Cassell is a senior multimedia journalist for the Daily News. He can be reached at tcassell@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @tommycassell44.
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Algonquin, Westborough golfers both recently record holes-in-one
