Unlikely ace highlights PTO, Tidwell tournament
Thirteen teams competed in the annual PTO/Sam Tidwell Memorial Scholarship Tournament held this past weekend at Albany Golf Club.
The event, which benefits the Albany PTO and the Sam Tidwell Memorial Scholarship, featured two flights of play with competitive scores across the board.
Championship Flight Results
1st – Boyd, Strauss, Waller, 60-59—119
2nd – Benton, Ford, Hill, 58-63—121
3rd – Barrett, Kitchens, Jaco, 63-59—122
4th – Fields, Jennings, Wheeler, 65-58—125
5th – Anderson, Martinez, Valdez, 64-63—127
6th – Riley, Riley, Shutz, 64-66—130
First Flight Results
1st – Bevel, Thompson, Thompson, 66-63—129
2nd – Balliew, Tidwell, Ware, 66-65—131
3rd – Reyes, Reyes, 68-65—133
4th – Benavidez, Hudson, Sawyer, 68-67—135
5th – Lowry, Nichols, Perales, 70-69—139
6th – Lively, Lively, Lively, 70-72—142
7th – Dark, Hinshaw, Hinshaw, 75-73—148
The tournament raised funds for both the PTO and the Sam Tidwell Memorial Scholarship.
A once-in-a-lifetime shot
The defining moment of the tournament came early Sunday afternoon, when Waylon Boyd stepped up to the tee box on Hole 7. A member of the eventual championship team with Carl Strauss and David Waller, Boyd decided to take an aggressive line across the water. The ball took off cleanly and tracked toward the green, but after landing, no one could tell where it ended up. Assuming it had splashed, the group moved on.
Strauss, whose drive had landed safely about 40 yards short of the green, took his next shot. His approach came in fast, bounced twice, and disappeared straight into the hole for an eagle. The team erupted in cheers as they celebrated what already seemed to be one of the best shots of the weekend.
Boyd volunteered to retrieve the ball, walking over toward the flagstick. When he leaned down and looked into the cup, he hesitated for a moment. Then he looked back at his teammates with his arms in the air and said slowly, “Guys… my ball is in the hole.”
For a second, no one said a word. Then both teams playing the hole burst into disbelief, laughter, and screams. What had begun as a celebration for Carl’s eagle turned into a once-in-a-lifetime discovery. Boyd’s tee shot had gone in first. Without realizing it, he had recorded a hole-in-one, followed immediately by an eagle from the same team on the same hole.
Players nearby soon heard about what happened, and the story spread across the course before the round even ended. “You won’t believe what happened on seven,” was the phrase repeated in every group.
Boyd, Strauss, and Waller went on to finish strong, posting a two-day total of 119 to win the Championship Flight. But even that achievement was almost overshadowed by the rare sequence on Hole 7 — one that those on the course said they’ll be talking about for years to come.
