Charley Hoffman scored an 'albatross' at the 2023 Wyndham Championship; why is it considered a rarer feat than a hole-in-one?  

Charley Hoffman made the first albatross of his career at the 2023 Wyndham Championship. He hit an unbelievable shot on the par-5 15th hole of Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina, during the fourth round of the PGA Tour event.

He holed out in the second shot from 198 yards on the back nine of the fourth round. It was the season's fourth albatross. Previously, Xander Schauffele holed out at the 2023 American Express, followed by Kevin Tway at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and Dylan Wu at the Rocket Mortgage Classic.

The albatross assisted Charley Hoffman in moving up from T22 to T12 in the Wyndham Championship. With a score of 11 under par 269, he finished in a tie with Justin Thomas.

Hoffman made his tournament debut on Thursday, August 3, with a birdie on the second hole. He made a bogey on the fourth hole before adding two more. He finished with a 69 after scoring three consecutive birdies on the 15th, 16th, and 17th holes of the first round.

Hoffman made a bogey on the first hole of the second round. He made four birdies and one bogey on the front nine, and three birdies and one bogey on the back nine.

On Saturday, August 5, the American golfer shot 67 after making four birdies on the front nine and two on the back, with one bogey and one double bogey. He bogeyed two holes, birdied three, and made an albatross in the final round to finish with a score of 67.

Lucas Glover won the tournament on Sunday, August 6, with a total of 20 under par.

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Why is an albatross considered a rarer feat than a hole-in-one?

Albatross is an uncommon feat in golf because it is difficult to achieve. A hole-in-one is rather common in golf championships because it is possible to achieve from par-2. However, an albatross can only be created on a par-3 hole.

This season, just four players were able to sink an albatross. It is most usually achieved on a par-5 hole since a golfer can sink the ball into the hole in two shots. Making an albatross on a par-3 hole is challenging.

The first reported albatross was scored by South African golfer E.E. Wooler in 1931. He made a hole-in-one on par 4 as reported by the Western Daily Press Bristol and the Straits Times Singapore.

Gene Sarazen was the first professional golfer who made an albatross in a major tournament. During the 1935 Masters, his hole-in-one on the 15th helped him to enter a playoff of the major and later he won the tournament.

Nicholas Thompson made two albatrosses in a single match. On the 13th hole of the 2009 Fry.com Open, he made an extremely unusual par-3 albatross. On the par-5 11th hole, he made his first albatross of the match.

It is important to note that Albatross is hole-in-one only but from par 3 holes and are technically more difficult to make than an eagle.