TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — Because the hole can’t be viewed from the tee, Joe Horvath couldn’t see the end of the greatest shot of his life — the only hole-in-one ever made of par-4 18th at the famed Inverness Club.
The club is 95-years old.
Since the shot, Horvath has heard from former club pros and received a fax from PGA Tour golfer Tom Lehman. His message: “WOW!!!!”
The hole often is considered to be among the finest short, par-4 holes in the country, and has been the scene of memorable finishes in four U.S. Opens and two PGA Championships. It’s where Bob Tway came out of the bunker with one of golf’s most memorable shots to win the 1986 PGA title.
Horvath, an amateur with a 12-handicap, used a driver Wednesday for his shot on the 308-yard hole. The former caddie at the club said he had driven the green two previous times.
“I have the ability to drive it that far, but to have the ball go in the cup is the most incredible thing that has ever happened to me,” he said.
Horvath, 40, couldn’t see the green, but a club employee said the ball carried over a left bunker, landed and rolled about six feet before dropping into the cup. Horvath finished with an 83.
Puerto Rican center banned
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Jose Ortiz, a Puerto Rican center who played for his national team at this summer’s Goodwill Games and World Basketball Championships, has received a two-year ban for using steroids.
According to a statement issued Monday by the Greek Basketball Federation, the 35-year-old Ortiz tested positive for the banned drug stanozolol in a test taken during the World Championships held here from July 29 to Aug. 9. A second sample tested positive on Sept. 17. Puerto Rico finished 11th at the Worlds.
Stanozolol is the same steroid Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson tested positive for at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games.
The decision to ban Ortiz, who plays for PAOK Salonica, was in line with international regulations, the Greek federation said. It did not provide any more details on the case.
The 6-foot-10 Ortiz also has for Oregon State, the Utah Jazz, Spain’s Saragosa, Real Madrid and Barcelona. In Greece, he played for Larissa, Heraklion and last season for Aris Salonica.
Workers return toarena construction site
ATLANTA (AP) — Federal safety officials continued to investigate why a concrete beam broke loose at an arena construction site, causing two ironworkers to fall to their deaths.
Construction on the $213 million home of the NBA Atlanta Hawks and the NHL expansion Atlanta Thrashers, halted after the accident, Friday, resumed Monday.
The area around the accident site remained closed, however. Workers will not lay any more concrete beams like the one involved in the accident until it is determined how the men died.