‘2’ ON SEVEN Will Johnson retrieves his double-eagle Sunday
The reigning Men’s Golf Champion of Nottoway River Country Club — and recentlycrowned Kenston Forest Homecoming King — has added another accomplishment to his already-memorable year.
Will Johnson recorded a rare albatross Sunday at Nottoway River Country Club’s 450- yard par-5 seventh hole.
The long-hitting senior at Kenston smacked a mammoth teeshot and needed only a 58° wedge to reach the green from 97 yards.
Johnson then struck a beauty that landed on the green and spun backwards into the cup for double-eagle.
Johnson, son of Buck & Nikole Johnson of Blackstone, was playing with Billy Armes, Johnny Cole, and Willard Hodge. Johnson finished his round with a 33-38–71 (-1).
As fate would have it, the last person to double-eagle #7 at NRCC was none other than Billy Armes. Armes has made an albatross and now witnessed one — very few golfers can make such a claim.
Armes made his doubleeagle in March 2020. The following week, a write-up about Armes’ feat appeared on page 8 of the Courier-Record. On the very same page, a sidebar story told about a junior golfer who — the previous day — aced NRCC’s par-3 fifth hole. That golfer was none other than then-13-year-old Will Johnson. It was his second career ace at the time.
In addition to his Blackstone Club Championship title this past June, Will also won the South Hill Member-Guest with Jacob Berryman in September. One week later, Will and his proud father defended their two-man title in the Victoria Invitational.
A double-eagle is consid- ered the rarest shot in golf. Published reports estimate that about 40,000 holes-in-one are recorded annually by golfers, compared to only 200 doubleeagles.
Among the few golfers to double-eagle Blackstone’s #7 are Ray Smart (2011), Frankie Winn (about 30 years ago in a club match play event), seventime Club Champion Bill Reid in the early 1980s, and former club champ Patrick Obradovic, who holed a 4-metal from 233 yards around the year 2000.
Obradovic was standing on the nearby 8th green Sunday when he saw Johnson’s monster drive and perfect approach on #7. “Will hit two unbelievable shots in a row. I saw his swing but didn’t see the ball go in. He’s a really good player and young man.”
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