Well Worth The Wait
SLIPPERY ROCK — Better late than never.
After playing golf for nearly 60 years, Slippery Rock resident Duncan Sargent recorded his first-ever hole-in-one Tuesday at Slippery Rock Golf Club.
Sargent, 76, a club member for 25 years, used a driver to ace the par-3, 190-yard No. 14 hole.
“I've been playing golf since my late teens,” Sargent said. “I've come within a few feet of a hole-in-one before, but not for a very long time.
“My first reaction when I saw the ball was in the hole? A whole bunch of high-five's ... and I said I was buying.”
Sargent plays a round of golf at the club each Tuesday and Thursday with 72-year-old Bob Emigh, 73-year-old Larry Paganelli and 65-year-old Gary Donelli. Emigh has shot seven holes-in-one in his lifetime, five of them coming on the No. 11 hole at Slippery Rock Golf Club.
“That No. 14 is a long par-3. You don't see many people getting a hole-in-one there,” Emigh said. “That's quite an accomplishment.
“Duncan was floating on air when he saw that ball was in the air. I was excited for him.”
Sargent said he knew he hit the ball well and straight. He saw it heading toward the green and watched it bounce in front of the green.
He wasn't sure whether it ever reached the green, let alone the hole.
“None of us could tell,” he said, laughing. “None of us can see well enough.”
Sargent looked for his ball in the fairway in front of the green. He walked on to the green when one of his buddies discovered the ball sitting in the hole.
“With the styrofoam inserts in each hole now, you could see the top of the ball sticking out,” Emigh said.
Donelli described the shot as “solid and accurate. You could see it heading directly toward the flag.
“That was one of those moments on a golf course we'll never forget.”
No one was more surprised to see the ball in the hole than Sargent.
“I didn't think I could hit the ball that far,” he said. “I use a driver on that (No. 14) hole because it is such a long par-3. I can't get it there with any other club.”
Emigh hasn't had a hole-in-one since playing in Hilton Head, S.C., three years ago. He said the foursome began celebrating almost instantly after Sargent got his.
“I know his wife's had a hole-in-one and his son's gotten one, too,” Emigh said. “They've teased him about that, all in good fun.
“They can't tease him anymore.”
Sargent was happy the hole-in-one occurred while golfing with Emigh, Donelli and Paganelli.
“We've been golfing together for 20 years or more,” he said. “I'll always remember that shot. It felt pretty good.”
