A seven-year-old boy has achieved a feat that eludes most professional golfers for a lifetime, becoming one of the youngest golfers to ever record a verified hole-in-one.
Freddie Kellow, from Colne in Lancashire, defied odds to hit the ‘one in a million’ shot at Carus Green Golf Club on 10 April – and in a stroke of luck, the entire moment was captured in high-definition video.
Freddie, who plays most of his golf at Clitheroe Golf Club, made the shot as he took part in a Faldo Futures Series qualifying competition at Carus Green, using a 7-iron to ace the 70-yard 9th hole, which was played from the forward tees for the purposes of the event.
The moment the ball dropped into the hole was captured only by chance. While Freddie’s parents were recording Freddie teeing off, they were not aware that golfing tech company Official Hole in 1 was trialling new video technology on the hole and was recording the green in high definition.
The coincidence means Freddie’s achievement is one of the few aces ever caught on professional-grade cameras.
After hearing of Freddie’s once-in-a-lifetime shot, Official Hole in 1 was able to find the footage and shared it with Freddie and his parents, so they would have a recording of the incredible moment the ball dropped in the cup.
The technology – launching in golf clubs across the UK currently – allows golfers to win up to £100,000 if they can get a hole-in-one at their local club for as little as £5 a go. Golfers can do this as part of their normal round, on a designated par three.
The company presented Freddie with an engraved trophy featuring the ball he used and golfing equipment as a well done for his achievement.
Freddie, who finished third in the 7-8 age category for the Faldo Series event with a score of +13 for nine holes, is no stranger to the fairways, as his father, Wesley, manages the golf operations for Burnley Leisure & Culture and as such, Freddie has been swinging a golf club since the age of three. He currently does not have a handicap, but is working towards one.
Talking of his achievement, Freddie said: “I didn’t think it had gone in at first. It was only when my Dad started cheering that I realised it had gone in. It was brilliant – but I was a bit embarrassed by my dad and his excited shouting! I know it’s a big achievement. I want to get my handicap now and keep playing more golf with my dad.”
Andrew Brooks, from Official Hole in 1 added: “A hole in one is one of the most remarkable feats in sport – and one of the hardest to do. But the real joy of it is that any golfer can do it, as Freddie has just shown the world.”
To watch Freddie’s hole-in-one video, click on the following link… https://drive.google.com/file/d/1d38nZfpXiSnwSn_gLXl5wlYGOhpzddKD/view?usp=share_link