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Eighteen

Bowling has the perfect 300. Baseball has the perfect no-hitter. The Professional Putters
Association has the perfect 18. There have been many 300 games. There have been fewer no-hitters.
However, there have only been four perfect rounds of 18 in the Professional Putters Association’s
history. An achievement that one player thought would happen a lot after he attained the historic
achievement. Four players, all unique with their backgrounds, levels of skill, and the course of which
the 18s were scored. This is the story of the four men who attained a unique place in history for
making 18 aces within the same round – and the lesser-known stories connected to each 18. But first, it
is important to place the significance of the 18, by looking at the 19s. A 19 has been scored 37 times.
Imagine the players that scored a 19, one hole, for various reasons, from perfection. The Professional
Putters Association started tournaments in 1959. A score in the low 30s was considered impressive.
Over time, with the enhanced development of improved carpet fibers, and the development of more
consistent rails, along with skill improvement and a familiarity of the courses, low scores started to
become more interesting and attainable. Hall of Famer, Ken Boy, held the lowest score record for 18
holes with a 21 for many years, this was eventually tied by Wilber Hildebrand of Winston Salem, NC
and Bob Macomber. A few years later, Bob Macomber beat this
Harritos Turner record when he scored 20. This record was soon shared with
Randy Isley. Winston Salem was a course that was regularly
utilized for national tournaments and was becoming a familiar
course. It was here, in 1973 at a world qualifying tournament that
the new world record of 19 was set by Clayton Turner, from
Burlington, NC. Turner was in his first round of the 3-round
tournament. He started on hole 12 … and missed the putt.
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However, when he stepped off hole 9 (his 16 hole) - he had aced
15 holes in a row. Hearing of Turner's record-breaking status, the
tournament director announced to the course participants and fans
that Turner was on hole 10 and had aced 15 out of 16 holes. With
hundreds of eyes on him, the pressure was starting to mount.
However, Turner remained calm and focused – even though the
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10 hole was one of the hardest holes due to the hole's
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inconsistency. He stroked the 10 hole with perfection and the
crowd erupted with a loud support of what he was accomplishing.
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Turner knew the 19 was going to be possible because the 11 hole
was one of the easier holes on the course, however, the pressure of
the moment was starting to be felt. Using a strategy that John