My Shot

My wife, Tewana, says we'll never win the lottery because I've used up all our luck, but I say, au contraire. I feel our chances are pretty darn good because I'll always be golf's luckiest man.

You may have heard that on Sept. 16, I shot a 13-under 58 in the final round of the Canadian tour's Bayer Championship at Huron Oaks Golf Club in Sarnia, Ont. I not only won the tournament (making up a three-stroke deficit) but also became the first player to break 59 in a pro event. What you may not know is how I turned pro. In 1992, while a sophomore at Alabama, I was playing in a charity fund-raiser in Tuscaloosa when I made a hole in one worth $1 million. I dropped my amateur status and golf scholarship on the spot. Who wouldn't for that kind of money?

I don't carry lucky charms, but I am superstitious about my ball. I always use one with the number 3 on it because that's what I was playing when I made the hole in one.

The 58 at Huron Oaks was no fluke—the course is 6,407 yards—but I did get a few breaks. I made five birdies and two eagles on the first seven holes and turned in 26. My parents, who live in Mifflinburg, Pa., were there to watch me play for the first time this year and didn't say a word for fear of jinxing me. I was II under on the 16th, a par-4, on which I missed the green and had a difficult chip. As I was getting ready to play the shot, I heard my mom say, "Don't worry. It's only a challenge." When I chipped in for birdie, I knew Lady Luck was smiling on me again.

I've had a lot of other good things happen to me over the years. As a kid I found a $5 bill on the sidewalk as I was walking home from school. I've never gotten a speeding ticket, although I've been stopped a few times, and I've made a couple more aces since the big one in '92. The only place where I seem to run out of luck is at the PGA Tour Q school. In four tries I've never reached the final stage. Maybe number five will be the charm.