Douglas golfer Rowan McCarthy shot a hole in one and an albatross in one round of golf 

DOUGLAS  native Rowan McCarthy was all smiles last week, not only did the golfer score a hole in one, he also managed an albatross (3 under par score) in the same round. 

The golfer pulled off a unique double that has been achieved by very few. 

Playing off a handicap of 20, McCarthy was having an average round at a Perth Golf Network event, and was nine over par for his first nine holes. He marched onto the back nine with a par on the tenth but followed that with a triple bogey 7 on the 11th, something that’s probably familiar to many high handicappers. 

Things changed on the 12th hole however, Rowan struck a nice seven iron on the 169 metre par 3. 

His group saw the ball land on the green but it wasn’t until they got down to the pin that they found the ball in the bottom of the cup. Initially McCarthy thought he was party of a wind up until he saw the ball in the hole. 

It was his first hole in one in golf, and second only to an ace in Douglas pitch and putt club many years ago.

The 32 year-old, along with his playing partners celebrated the ace but it was soon back to normal as a double bogey followed on the 13th, and worse still he had a triple bogey on the 14th. 

His luck was back in on the par five 15th hole, when his second shot finished in the hole. 

After a good drive he was left with 185 metres to the green and a punched five iron not only got him to the green, the ball dropped for a three under par albatross. 

While a hole in one is rare – about 12,000 to 1 odds, an albatross is said to be golf’s rarest score. Several sites quote odds of 6 million to 1 for an albatross and only a few hundred are scored in competitions every year.

McCarthy closed out his round with two pars and a bogey for a winning score of 39 points, and he also recorded one of his best gross scores finishing six shot better than his handicap. 

More importantly, he honoured the long established tradition and bought drinks for all the competitors in the clubhouse after the round. 

The Irish expat is working as a mechanical engineer in Perth and when he grew up in Douglas he played a bit of golf and pitch and putt but it was never his first choice sport. 

He was a successful skateboarder, winning an All-Ireland title as a teenager.