Blind golfer’s ‘lost’ ball was hole-in-1

A MAN who is registered blind who hit his first hole-in-one during a golf tournament said his able-sighted partners initially thought the ball had landed in a bunker.

Peter Osborne, 46, who lives in Carnforth, Lancashire, and is a member of the Scottish Disability Golf Partnership (SDGP), hit the shot at Balbirnie Park Golf Club in Glenrothes, Fife, during a series of challenge cup matches between SDGP players and members of the club.

He said he was sure he had hit a good shot with his five-iron club but others in the group thought the ball disappeared into the front bunker. He sank the ace at the par-3 14th hole of the course.

Mr Osborne, who uses a yellow ball, which he can see better, said: “Seeing no sign of the ball we searched around thinking it had got a sideways bounce. One of my playing partners checked the hole just in case, and there it was at the bottom of the cup, my yellow Titleist golf ball.

“I’ve never done that before.”

John Murray, Mr Osborne’s guide and also a member of the Balbirnie club, said: “I’ve only been guiding the blind and vision-impaired players for a few years and I couldn’t be more pleased for Peter. What a great experience.”