College Golfer Alex Ross Writes Account Of Day He Shot Incredible Round Of 57

This is the fantastic account of college player Alex Ross who on June 6th shot 57 in the Dogwood Invitational at Druid Hills Golf Club in At...

This is the fantastic account of college player Alex Ross who on June 6th shot 57 in the Dogwood Invitational at Druid Hills Golf Club in Atlanta.

The full ESPN article is here. This is an excerpt.  Follow @golfcentraldoc

I proceeded to hit my first shot of that second round: a thin drive down the left side of the 10th fairway. My ball hit a limb and bounced left into the trees. I didn't have a good shot at the flag, so I hit a low 6-iron right of the green. My ball ended up in a good spot. Even though the turf was wet, I hit the chip perfectly. My ball broke a touch to the left and dropped into the middle of the hole for an unexpected birdie. If I hadn't made it, my ball would have ended up four feet past the cup.
Druid Hills isn't the longest golf course in the world, and I was able to take advantage with my driving distance. I was only 84 yards from a back flag on No. 2 and made an 18-footer for birdie. On the par-4, 311-yard 12th hole, I nearly drove the green, but my ball ended up just to the left. Right before my chip shot, my mom, Stephanie, showed up at the course. She greeted me with her standard, "Hi, Sweetie!" When I was a junior player, my parents watched me play all the time. Now that I'm in college, they don't get to come as often. We all like to think that when they watch, I play better. I'm not entirely sure whether that's true. This day, after my mom showed up, my chip shot nearly went in for an eagle. I made a 2-footer for birdie. Maybe she was good luck this time.

It got better.

I'll admit that I was a little freaked out about being 6-under after five holes. My hot start had to end at some point, right? On the par-4 15th hole, I hit my second shot way too deep. I had a 22-footer and it was superfast. My ball broke to the right and then dropped right into the hole for another birdie! I looked at my mom, shook my head in disbelief and said, "This is crazy."
On the par-4 16th hole, which I'd reached with my driver and one-putted for eagle that morning, I hit another good drive right at the flag. My ball landed on the front of the green and rolled out to 18 feet. Looking back now, I might have freaked out a little bit about having another chance for eagle. I hit my putt way too hard and the ball went right through the break. It ended up four feet past the cup, and I made the birdie putt to move to 8-under after seven holes.

People started to come out to witness history....

By the fifth hole, I was starting to feel super nervous. After making my third straight birdie (and 11th of the round with one eagle!), I tossed my putter to my bag and went to the next tee and waited for the green to clear. The par-3 sixth hole has a false front and a very small green. Even though I was hitting uphill and into the wind, I didn't want to hit a dialed-back 9-iron. I was too amped and didn't want to swing too hard. Instead, I hit a pitching wedge and tugged it toward the middle of the green. I was simply happy to be putting. I could barely feel my hands standing over the 30-footer. I hit right into the heart of the hole, but left it a foot short for par.

Nerves nerves nerves....the dreaded nerves

As I approached the tee box on the par-5 ninth hole, I could barely breathe. I knew what was at stake. I tried to take three deep breaths before I stepped into my tee shot and swung hard. I didn't hit it great, but I was so amped up that it ended up being OK. My second shot, from 211 yards out, was uphill and into heavy wind. It was probably playing closer to 235 yards, but I didn't want to hit a 4-iron and knew that being short was fine. It was a big green and there was plenty of room. I aimed right and swung hard, hitting about a 10-yard draw to the front edge.
With my hands shaking and my head dancing with all kinds of thoughts, there was no way I was going to chip from there. I would have either chunked it or skulled it, so I putted from 80 feet. I just kind of whacked the ball and hoped the speed was right. Somehow, it turned out perfect. The ball stopped two feet from the hole, and I knocked it in for another birdie.
After I shook my playing partners' hands, and hugged my mom and caddie, Druid Hills Golf Club members and other Dogwood competitors engulfed me with high-fives and handshakes. Some guy asked me for my ball. I'm glad I had the presence of mind to say, "No, I think I'll keep this one." I even signed a couple of autographs.
By the time I had checked and signed my scorecard, it was pretty dark. Marc and I posed for what seemed like a million photos. Everyone was calling me "Mr. 57." My dad, Peter, little sister, Kayla, and little brother, Owen, got to the course right after I finished the round. They were in as much shock as I was.

There's a huge amount more in the full piece. Make sure to check it out.


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