Las Vegas amateur golfer Greg Pyszko knew he hit a good shot on the par 5, 15th hole at Las Vegas National Golf Club on New Year’s Day. He just wasn’t sure how good. As it turns out, it was nothing short of perfect as he holed a 240-yard shot with a four-wood for a double eagle en route to winning the season-opening KGA tourney. In the process, he did something that Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Mickey Wright nor Tiger Woods never did on the historic course. — By Bill Bowman, www.LasVegasGolfInsider.com – File photo SNGA.
The miraculous shot was an amazing way to kick off the New Year and also vaulted him into the tournament lead. He would go on to win by three shots. The KGA is the Kirby Golf Association which was started in 2017 by Todd Kirby and is an official Southern Nevada Golf Association member affiliate club. More information on how to play in KGA events is available under KGA on the official SNGA member club page
“It was quite a surprise that’s for sure,” Pyszko said of his first double eagle. “I was playing decent and had just gotten up and down for a par on 14. On 15, I hit a good drive down the middle and got up to the ball (for his second shot) and hit it with everything I had.”
He had no thoughts of what was about to unfold.
“I hit it higher than I usually do,” he added. “I thought it might come up a little short but with the wind it carried just short of the green and it started rolling.”
It was at that point the golf ball left his field of view.
“I lost sight of it after it hit but the other two guys we were playing with were up closer to the green waiting to hit their approach shots,” Pyszko said. “They both had a clear look and they were pointing down and yelling…‘It went down…it went down’…and sure enough it was in the hole.”
The shot helped him post a three-under-par 68 net score, good enough for a three-shot win over Daniel Castro and Brian Marks.
“I knew I had a chance to win,” Pyszko said. “I was three strokes down but with cold and windy conditions anything can happen and that shot helped me pick up four strokes and put me into the lead. It certainly boosted my confidence.”
Las Vegas National Golf Club opened in 1961 and was the site of the LPGA Championship from 1961-66, when Wright, an LPGA Hall of Famer, won the event twice.
The course also hosted the long-running Sahara Invitational on the PGA Tour in addition to the Tournament of Champions in 1967 and 1968. Palmer, Nicklaus and a host of the game’s legends played in the events, never making a 2 on a par 5.
In 1996, Las Vegas National was one of three courses used in the Las Vegas Invitational when a 20-year old Woods won his first PGA Tour title. Woods shot 70 on the course and didn’t record an albatross.
Las Vegas National Golf Club is located in the heart of Las Vegas and is a local and visitor favorite and Las Vegas tee times are always available and all information can be found on the official Las Vegas National website.
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