FEATURE
A 2,011km Golf Odyssey Across Mongolia The
Longest Hole The Finale
Former Hong Kong rugby player Adam Rolston and caddie-friend Ron Rutland have finished the longest hole in golf after 80 days and 20,093 shots across Mongolia. Rolston rolled in a tricky eight-foot putt on the 18th green of the Mt Bogd Golf Club in Ulaanbaatar, to bring an end to the strangest hole in golfing history... Photography by Andrew King
"I suffered for a couple of weeks with pretty bad back spasms and probably the stiffest neck I have ever had… But, there was never one second, we thought we wouldn't make it. Ron was a hero. He only recently came off from a hip surgery ten-month before this trip! And he will probably require a full replacement in the next few months... What he accomplished is something superhuman. There are only a handful of people who have walked across Mongolia, and he did it pulling a 100kg cart. A remarkable feat."
“Ron and I couldn't be prouder of what we achieved. 2,011km is a long way. It has taught me to be more patient, and things come to those who wait. At some points of the trip, when you are mid-way through an 800km dessert cross... You can never imagine you will get to that little flag in Ulaanbaatar, but, here we are. We did it!”
“The Mongolian are some of the toughest people in the world! They opened their doors to us at every opportunity, offering us everything they had. Ron and I will treasure that!"
“This dog travelled 2,000km across Mongolia! No dog in recent history has ever gone so far. His story is incredible. After the putt went in, we were still looking for a beautiful home for him. He is about ten years old and couldn’t come with me back to Hong Kong; it just wouldn’t be fair. He is a Mongolian and imprisoning such a free spirit in a flat in HK would be hell! A few great decisions and luck saw us visit Terelj National Park, where we found the most beautiful home for our teammate. It was an epic ending to our trip and ultimately then, was the trip complete! Very emotional.”
“As a golfer, 3-putt is something you try to avoid like the plague. Imagine hitting golf balls continuously for 80 days and only having one opportunity to putt… The thoughts of "what happens if I 3-putt after all this 80-DAY OF WORK" really bothered me. Finally, you got there, facing with a 45- footer which slides past the cup by 8 feet. Now, everything you have imagined is happening. You now have that 8-footer just like your nightmares. And then to say "F**k this" and hole it in front of 200 to 300 people watching feels just like winning a Major! Tiger fist pump to see it in! I will take that feeling to the grave!”
FINAL NOTE: “We have got a documentary on the way. We are premiering it at the Cape Town Adventure Film Festival on 20th April. And we will keep all the HK golfers updated about an ‘HK Premier’ soon!”