The Shots (Or Lack Of) Heard ‘Round the World?
By Tom Lang
Muskegon’s Andy Ruthkoski shot a golf career-defining 55 on Monday, June 20 at his childhood golf course where he first learned the game, set the prior course record of 61 as an adult 10 years ago, and broke wide open now at age 39.
At Oak Ridge Golf Club in Muskegon, Ruthkoski, who turned pro after competing at Michigan State University two decades ago, simply went out to play a twilight round of golf with the daughters of his girlfriend, whom he calls his stepdaughters. It turned into a red-hot round that came up three inches short of a “perfect” 18-under 54.
“I remember thinking as I walked up to tap it in that it could have been 18-under,” Ruthkoski told me as he drove to a Monday pre-qualifier for the John Deer Classic. “But, whatever. I was most happy that I finished it out and I was done. I just wanted to keep the rhythm going and finally I ran out of holes, and that was it. It felt really good.
“Knowing it (a 20-footer) was for an 18-under, I didn’t want to hit it 2-feet past the hole for a downhiller coming back,” he said about what he hoped would be the last putt. “I wanted it to be hard enough to just die in the front edge of the cup.”
Ruthkoski acknowledges that the course length posted at 6,009 yards is not a PGA Tour level course by any means, but as any golfer knows getting a great score is not all about conquering length. It requires making the scoring shots of chips and putts to go low.
He noted that in the 1950s, pros Ben Hogan, Jimmy Demaret and Byron Nelson played an exhibition there.
“It’s a good course, with a lot of character, and where I would think, why don’t I just hit (my drives) short of the green, chip all my wedges close one day, and see how long I can go. And that’s really what happened that night. I think the crazy part was the start. I mean, I was set up with 9-under through six holes.
That’s right folks – he started out eagle, birdie, birdie, eagle, eagle, birdie – followed by a fourth eagle on the par four 9th hole after driving the green and making a 20-footer to make the turn at 11-under par 25.
Yes, he has witnesses, and videos taken by his friend Dave Buck and posted to Facebook who joined on the third hole and took Ruthkoski all the way through 18 to finish in time before darkness.
“I could tell Dave was having a good time,” he said. “He’s just taking all the videos, there is swearing on the video, his commentary was pretty funny.”
A turning point came on the 13th hole, a par 5 at 531 yards. He had some tree trouble off the tee but still got a punch shot out, then a chip onto the green to within four feet of the hole for a birdie try.
“It was at that point I kind of thought as I’m lining up the putt, ‘okay, if I make the putt I’ll be in 59 territory, so keep your head down, keep the putter head square and just stroke it.’ That was my thought and I knocked it in.”
Making the PGA Tour has always been the dream, but Ruthkoski has never had the financial backing to make a long run at it. He gives lessons at Fruitport Golf Center in Muskegon and currently works at UPS in the mornings. He stopped mini tour play regularly in 2014, but still plays Michigan and Ohio pro events, and others within a day’s drive. He won the Michigan Open in 2007, and won back-to-back Michigan Tournament of Champions titles, in 2013 and 2014.
“The thing is, it was a completely honest round,” he said. “I shot it. Nobody can take it away from me. I know I hit all the shots. I know I putted them all in, so anyone can say what they want. I’m fine with it.”
Even finer if it’s a national or world record.
