Tom Ralph’s Interesting Journey to a Hole-In-One

Although rare, a hole-in-one is usually an accomplishment that would not warrant a story. That is, unless the person who recorded the ace suffered a heart attack just three weeks earlier.

On June 25, 2011, Tom Ralph was experiencing some chest pain, so he decided to go to the Greenwich Hospital to be checked out. Sure enough, he was told by his doctors that he was having a heart attack. In the early morning hours of June 26th he was transferred to the Yale New Haven Medical Center where he surgeons opened the blockage in his right coronary artery and inserted a stent. Tom was released the next morning and told not to play golf again for at least two weeks.

On Sunday July 17, just three weeks later, Tom approached the 16th tee at Westchester Hills with his playing partners Tim Dunlea, Bob DiFiorio and Les Baer. He placed a tee in the ground, selected a 7-iron and prepared to strike the ball. Moments later his shot was in-flight, drawing to the pin and taking one bounce before nestling into the hole! The caddies let out a roar to notify the unsuspecting group of players on the tee that the ball found its way into the hole and the brief, but boisterous, celebration began.

Tom fulfilled the dream of every golfer - under the most unusual circumstances!