Golf Central

There's something innately cruel about the story of 90-year-old Howard Tanner, who recently shot his first hole-in-one at the Wynmoor Community Council in Coconut Creek, Florida. After 78 years of playing the game he aced the 123-yard ninth hole, but not one of the foursome playing had the pleasure of seeing the ball drop. "I have very poor eyesight," said Tanner. "I seldom see where the ball goes."

Rory Sabatini recorded his first ever hole in one during the traditional Par-3 Masters curtain-raiser at Augusta yesterday. The chippy South African, whose even fierier other half Amy caddied for him, holed out at the 110-yard seventh, while David Toms aced the 142-yard fifth. Mark O’Meara won the tournament, but all the attention was on Luke Donald, clearly a keen golf historian, who 'didn't try' to hole his chip shot on the ninth hole. One of the oft-quoted cliches of Masters week is that no winner of the Par-3 tournament has ever gone on to win The Masters itself.