I would like to congratulate Unni Haskell, a Norwegian-born resident of St. Petersburg, on the hole-in-one she recently hit on her very first official drive on a golf course.

She is 62 years old.

Haskell aced the 100-yard first hole at Cypress Links, which contains nine par-3 holes. After two months of golf lessons with a PGA instructor, she teed off after convincing her teacher she was ready to play. Her short drive bounced onto the expansive green, narrowly missing a bunker, and rolled straight into the cup.

She surprised many avid golfers, some of whom are still trying for their first hole-in-one, by stating, “I didn’t know it was that big of a deal. I thought all golfers do this.”

Always an active person, Haskell began learning golf last year after moving south from Connecticut. The itch to test her skills soon overcame her, so she hit the links and pulled off a feat Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods may never see in their collective lifetimes.

A select few Major League Baseball players have hit home runs on their very first pitch in the batter’s box. But years of prep and minor league experience led up to it. Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan threw a 62-yard touchdown on his first NFL throw, but had years of high school and collegiate play behind him first.

A hole-in-one golf debut? At age 62? This tops that list.

By the way, Haskell shot a four and a six on the next two holes, going on to play six out of nine. She could have walked away on top after one and still had an amazing story. But once that first one goes down, there is a constant urge to repeat it.

“I haven’t played since, but I want to,” she told the St. Petersburg Times. “I still can’t believe it.” Believe us, neither can we.

-Brenton Burkett

Brenton Burkett can be reached at bburkett@ut.edu