Wednesday, June 30, 2004

Lehman baptizes course with ace

By RANDY YOUNGMAN
The Orange County Register

MISSION VIEJO – What is the best way to christen a new golf course?

With a crowd of dignitaries, local politicians and invited guests watching from the grassy patio area behind the clubhouse, PGA Tour professional Tom Lehman hit the ceremonial first shot Tuesday during grand opening ceremonies at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club.

Naturally, there was polite applause as Lehman's tee shot rocketed down the 17th fairway, symbolically opening the 18-hole championship course he co-designed with local architect Casey O'Callaghan.

That, however, wasn't Lehman's most memorable shot of the day. An hour later, during a tournament to commemorate the occasion, Lehman hit another shot that witnesses will be talking about the rest of their lives.

Playing Arroyo Trabuco for the first time, Lehman recorded a hole-in-one on the 231-yard, par-3 fourth hole.

With the downhill par-3 also playing downwind, Lehman selected a 5 iron and hit a towering shot directly at the flagstick.

The ball landed about 10 feet onto the putting surface and starting rolling ... and rolling ... and rolling ...

"Go in!" Lehman yelled from the tee box.

Lehman is a tour pro, so the ball obeyed.

When his Srixon ball disappeared from view, Lehman raised his arms triumphantly and smiled ear-to-ear, triggering a high-five celebration with his three playing partners (yes, I was one of the lucky ones) and course owners Tony and Melinda Moiso, who had pulled up in a cart behind the tee box just in time to see the historic ace.

Rick Carmichael, a photographer from La Selva Beach who was following Lehman, captured the hole-in-one swing on film and snapped Lehman proudly pulling the ball out of the hole. A plaque soon will be placed on the tee box, to remind all subsequent players of Lehman's feat.

"That could be an expensive ace," a laughing Lehman said, alluding to the 90-plus golfers on the course at the time and the tradition of buying a cold one for everyone playing.

Lehman, who finished in an 11th-place tie at PGA Tour's Booz Allen Classic in Potomac, Md., this past weekend, said it was his sixth career hole-in-one, ending what he called "a long dry spell of about eight years."

And how would he critique hole No.4 now?

"Too easy," said the 1996 British Open winner, laughing again. "I need to redesign it."

In all seriousness, he said it was "quite a thrill to see it go in, especially on a course you helped design, with the owners right there watching."

That is how you christen your own golf course - with an exclamation point.