It’s Friday, you’ve finished work for the weekend, you’re in a great mood, yada yada…
You probably thought your day couldn’t get any better; you’ve got your comfies on, the takeaway’s on its way, maybe you’re getting ready for a night out with your mates. Basically, life is good.
It’s about to get a whole lot better though – watch this video of an amateur golfer with one arm who makes a hole-in-one during a USA tournament. Yes, really.
Check out the incredible shot below:
Laurent Hurtubise, who was born without most of his right arm, made the hole-in-one on the 151-yard fourth hole of PGA West’s Stadium Course at The American Express golf tournament.
The golfer, who plays the sport solely with his left arm, has been playing since he was 11 years old and has worked his whole life to be an inspiration to people living with similar conditions.
Competing alongside the pros on Thursday, January 16, Hurtubise could be seen celebrating after his hole-in-one, throwing his hat into the air and cheering with his fellow golfers. Beaming, he was then met by cheers as he walked down the course to pick his ball out of the hole.
His partner, three-time PGA Tour winner Troy Merritt, was nearly as excited as Hurtubise. He said, as per PGA: ‘That was the coolest experience I’ve had on the golf course.’
Pro golfer Greg Chalmers, who was playing in the same group as Hurtubise, praised the amateur for such an ‘incredible’ shot. ‘It was one of those shots where you always thought, hang on… this could go in here,’ he explained.
Chalmers continued:
It landed around the front of the green and we were all watching it closely as it tracked toward the hole and then bang, it disappeared.
We all went up in celebration and Laurent went ballistic and maybe let out a few choice words, but who could blame him? He’s as cool as a cucumber. It was unreal. And I think he told me it was his third ace so that’s awesome.
Having grown up only being able to use his left arm, Hurtubise quickly found sports were a way for him to fit in with other kids, previously telling the Desert Sun: ‘As a kid, sports was a way for me to prove that even though I had a difference that I could perform as well as normal people… as they call them.’
He said sports was his way ‘to prove that [he] could be as good as everybody else’, and started by playing hockey and baseball. However, golf soon became his favourite sport and when he turned 11 he started playing the game all the time.
Hurtubise uses golf to inspire amputees or others without arms, and talks to children and parents at a hospital near his home in Montreal about overcoming a disability. ‘It does feel fulfilling when someone tells me they’ve been inspired to play a sport because of me,’ he explained.
Well, there are certainly not many things more inspirational than becoming a viral celebrity because of something you’re so passionate about.
What a guy.
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A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).