So what's your problem then? The holy grail of most amateur and club golfers - the hole-in-one - remains out of reach of almost everyone who has swung a club in anger. The odds against for tour professionals of an ace are estimated at 3000-1; for a low-handicapper that goes down to 5000-1; and for a high-handicapper the odds are 12000-1.

But what if your handicaps are literally your handicaps? We're not mathematicians here at IGWT, we're journalists, dammit, but someone brainy please let us know the odds against Leo Fiyalko's feat in January in Florida. Fiyalko had a couple of things against him when he scored his first lifetime ace at the Cove Cay Country Club in Clearwater, Florida: 1) he's 92 years old; and 2) he's legally blind.

Nice shot, Leo! For the record, Leo (who has been golfing for 60 years and once played off 7) blasted a perfect 5-iron on the 110-yard 5th hole at Cove Cay, which ended up in the hole. Leo, having been diagnosed with macular degeneration and is legally blind because he only has peripheral vision in his right eye, can't watch TV without turning to one side.

But what a shot he missed. Apparently, so too did the members of Leo's Twilighters Club golfing group at Cove Cay, none of whom actually saw Leo's shot go in. But the evidence was in the hole: Leo's golf ball. Leo's an honest man: "I never saw it," he said. We love the truth at IGWT, it's right in the name on the tin. If you maths wizards want to let us know what the odds are for Leo's feat, please let us know in the box below ... Hit 'em straight, and here's what our friends at the St Petersburg Times in Florida have to say about the story ...

We love the fact that many of our ever-dwindling collection of Second World War veterans are still out and kicking it on the links. And we love it even more when we hear that one of them gets a hole-in-hole ...

That's what happened last Friday, when Art Wornick, who turned 88 last month, aced the 135-yard 12th hole at Wildwood Golf Club near Beaumont, Texas.

Wornick, who flew Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter planes during World War II, and a resident of Village Mills, Texas, hit a 5-wood and Art's good shootin' was witnessed by Rusty Davis, Bill Hodgkins, Jerry Fleming and Roy Bowden.

With England in the football, the rugby, the cricket and the golf, is it possible that we could see a whitewash in the sporting world this weekend?: Doubtful
Why’s that?: Paul Casey’s out of the World Match Play for a start. Secondly, have you seen that caveman geezer who plays for France?
Yeah, scary. So anyway, what happened to Casey?: Angel Cabrera dumped him out 4&3 after shooting five birdies in the afternoon round.
Dammit. So what else happened?: In the battle of the Scandi’s, Sweden’s Henrik Stenson froze out Denmark’s Anders Hansen 7&6, despite Hansen’s 28th hole, hole in one. Hunter Mahan toppled Ander's namesake Soren Hansen 6&4 while Els made short work of Andres Romero, 6&5.
Would you say that he’s on an inexorable march to his seventh win here?: Umm nah.
Why not?: Because I don’t know what that means.
I see, would you go as far to say that he’s in imperious form then?: Errrrrr…..
How about his victoriety is as assured as his excellendary putting?: OK. Stop it now…

It’s only a matter of time before Scotland’s Lloyd Saltman is a star in pro golf. But to pick up his first professional victory cheque last weekend, the 22-year-old from East Lothian had to go back in time – almost literally.  
    And he did it in style, sporting plus-fours and playing with a set of six pre-1935 hickory-shafted clubs to win the World Hickory Open at his home links of Craigielaw, and the champ's payout of £1700.
    Said Saltman: “It would be fair to say the hickory championship was not what I planned, but it was great fun and using only six clubs really opened up the imagination.”
    Swinging the old-school sticks, Saltman got around the 18 holes in 1-over 72, beating former Scottish PGA champ Fraser Mann by a shot. Needless to say, dithering over club selection is not an issue at this event and tournament supremo Lionel Freedman reports that the entire field finished their rounds in just over three hours despite typically Scottish conditions.
    The World Hickory Open is in its third year, and even former Ryder Cup captain Bernard Gallacher OBE has had a crack at the old sticks, shooting a 76 in last year’s event. A Saltman won that one as well – Lloyd’s younger brother Zack, third this year with a 75.
    On the previous day, at the World Hickory Pro-Am, David Laing of Craigielaw, who was making his pro debut, aced the 157-yard 10th hole. His prizes included the hickory club he used, a magnum of champagne and a bottle of Famous Grouse suitably inscribed. Presumably, the champions dinner was bangers and mashie ...

Photograph courtesy of Robert Brown

Yep, we're definitely in Switzerland

 

So is Wilson still going strong?
Yeah, he's alright, it was all Steve Coogan's fault you know...

Oliver Wilson, not Owen Wilson
Oh. Oliver Wilson is taking a one shot lead over Bradley Dredge into the weekend's play.

Who else is doing well?
Australia's Brett Rumford is third, two shots back and England's Philip Archer is fourth, a further shot behind.

Anything else of note?
Alessandro Tadini shot a hole in one at the third hole and won a one kilo gold ingot and 16 year old Hawaiian Tadd Fujikawa made an albatross at the ninth, despite missing the cut.

A gold ingot? What would you even do with that?
Doorstop? Paper weight? Dunno. Either way, his hole in one was impressive.