Novice Newcomers Break All-Time Tournament Putting Record

Despite having to play in unfavorable wet and rainy conditions in an outdoor event, a longstanding tournament putting record was broken by two novice newcomers and teammates, Richard Miller of Hudson, NC, and Bryan Deal of Valdese, NC.

There are four different putting courses at the location in Hickory, NC, where weekly Best Ball tournaments have been held for years, and one of the courses had something special take place on it. Thursday, June 22nd, 2023: teammates Richard Miller and Bryan Deal broke the all-time record for the lowest documented score ever for one round played in a Best Ball tournament at the location, with a total score of 20, which equates to -16 strokes under par for 18 holes with no handicap on course 1.

Out of the 18 holes on the course, they hit 10 consecutive holes in one before missing a shot and finishing the round with a total of 16 holes in one. They missed just two holes; both holes that were missed were by mere inches, falling just shy of the perfect game that every player and team tries to achieve in the sport, a perfect score of 18. 

Best Ball tournaments are where any two people can team up together and compete against other teams, as the teams with the lowest scores compete for cash and prizes. Tournament rules and guidelines can vary by location. In this particular sport, there is a 5-stroke limit, and par is a total score of 36 for 18 holes. 

Richard and Bryan didn’t start playing until August of 2022, and at that time they both started out with high handicaps, having numerous strokes over par, but within a few short months they managed to break a record that has stood for years for the lowest documented round ever scored in an official Best Ball tournament played at the Hickory, NC location. Surprisingly enough, they both stated they have hit a score of 19 four different times this year, but it wasn’t during a tournament match, and even though they say they play for fun, their overall goal is to one day try to hit that elusive score of 18.