In preparation for my next tournament replay, the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill, I have been logging a few practice rounds on Acorn Hill (par 70). The reason for doing this is to assess how the course plays in order to create the most realistic APBA replay possible. As such, I’m choosing both good and not-so-good men’s golfers from 2023 to get a sense of what works and what doesn’t.
Acorn Hill is a beast of a course. In addition to quartering winds, it features numerous deep bunkers, water and trees close to or on the centerline, and regular rough on every hole that limits club selection to no more than a 7-iron (per course notes).
In my first pairing, I had Ludvig Åberg facing off against Will Zalatoris with Calm wind and Soft course conditions. Much to my delight, Åberg shot a 4-under par 66. He hit 64% of the fairways and 61% of greens-in-regulation. But the difference-maker was his putting. He had 142 total feet of putts made–including a long putt of 48 feet–and just 24 putts for the round. (Unfortunately, he is not eligible for the replay since he didn’t play in the actual tournament.)
Meanwhile, Zalatoris salvaged an even par 70 after an unremarkable front nine that included two bogeys and seven pars. Will only hit 43% of the fairways and 50% of greens-in-regulation. Even so, I was beginning to think this course ain’t so tough after all.
Then came my match-up between Adam Schenk and Camilo Villegas. They played with Moderate wind and Normal course conditions. Neither finished the day with anything to write home about. Villegas finished at 4-over par (74), but Schenk tied my all-time worst round relative to par with a 14-over 84. Tom Watson (1977) holds the record for my worst round ever with a 14-over par 86 at Gopher Lakes (Hazeltine National), which is a par 72.
Schenk, or “Shank” as hecklers in the gallery started shouting at him, only hit 3 fairways the entire round and none on the back nine. Even his 4-wood tee shots were wild, veering 40+ yards off the centerline and frequently into trees and water. Schenk racked up three penalty strokes over a span of five holes, two in the water and one OB. As you might expect, he only hit 28% of greens-in-regulation, racked up 30 putts, and had just 60.5 feet of putts made.
If I had to assign a cause to this miserable performance, I’d say it was a combination of horrible dice-rolling and a below-average APBA card for Schenk. We’ve all had days like that, so I won’t let it get me down too much. But it does say something when you tie a record for all-time worst round when you’ve played a couple thousand of them!