4 minute read
Local golfer makes 6 million to one shot, twice
In golf, an albatross, also known as a double eagle, occurs when a player finishes a hole three under par.
The odds of shooting one albatross are roughly six million to one, and to the amazement of everyone at the Lloydminster Golf and Curling Centre (LGCC), local golfer Jim Born Jr. recently sank two albatrosses within 15 days of each other.
“When I got the first one I was golfing with Ryan Rivett. The ball kind of disappeared and I asked him ‘is that an albatross?’ He got out his range finder and couldn’t see the ball, so at that point, we knew it was in,” said Born.
“It caught me off guard, so no one really cheered or celebrated, so when I got the second one I went a little overboard; everyone got a hug and a highfive,” he said with a laugh.
Born’s first albatross came on May 11 with his second hitting the bottom of the cup on May 26.
“For the first one, I hit a good drive down the right side of the fairway on 17 and had 183 yards, so I hit a six iron into a bit of a breeze … it faded in nicely, landed about five feet from the pin and rolled in,” he said.
“The second one was on May 26 on hole five. I had another good drive down the middle, had 186 in, downwind a little bit so I hit a seven iron. It was rolling, then it disappeared, then we went nuts.”
Although technically not a professional, Born plays nationally at the amateur level and was ranked 25th in Canada in 2001.
He began playing at the LGCC regularly in 1984 when it became an 18-hole course and has called it his home course ever since.
With two albatrosses on the books, the Source was also curious if Born had ever recorded a hole-in-one.
“I have three of them,” he said with a chuckle.
“My first one was in 1998 on Hole 4, then in 2021 or ‘22 I got another one on Hole 4 and one on Hole 6.”
With decades of golfing under his belt, Born credits his recent successes to a bit of luck, and a lot of time on the course.
“I’d like to play every day, but it’s been tough lately with the weather,” he said, noting his favourite clubs to play are now his six and seven iron, the very clubs he shot his albatrosses with.
“I like to try to take the summers off and golf every day. I think I got 80 to 90 rounds in last year.”
For those just starting out in the sport, Born offered up a bit of advice.
“I’d definitely go to the range and go see your club pro and get clubs that are actually fitted for you,” he said, adding he didn’t know he needed three degrees upright on his irons until last season.
“Make sure you’re comfortable with your driver, your five iron, seven iron, and wedges, and a bit of practice with putting never hurt.”
