When Firestone Country Club’s par-5 16th hole—which would eventually be affectionately known as “The Monster”—was created by Robert Trent Jones during a redesign ahead of the 1960 PGA Championship, Arnold Palmer called it “ridiculous.” Not only was it extremely long, but its green was guarded by a new pond Palmer found during the tournament won by Jay Herbert.
For nearly six decades after that, the hole presented a problem for PGA Tour pros as the circuit’s longest par 5 (667 yards) at a regular tournament site. And now the over-50 crowd has to deal with it annually at the Senior Players Championship.
But it proved to be no problem for Kyle Berkshire recently. On a hole that even the best players in the world rarely challenged for their second shots, the reigning World Long Drive champ reached pin high in two. With a 3-iron.
We’ve seen Berkshire bring plenty of holes to their knees, but this might be the most famous. The 23-year-old didn’t waste the mighty blows, either, two-putting for a tasty birdie. Check it out:
Again, this is hole is SIX HUNDRED and sixty-seven yards long. And it’s no big deal for Berkshire. Incredible.
What’s most impressive, though, is that approach shot from 287. We’ve actually seen plenty of 400-yard drives from the pros here through the years so Berkshire must not have hit his tee shot on the screws. But again, when you can hit all the clubs in your bag as far as he does—including a lob wedge as far as 260 yards—it doesn’t matter.
We’re pretty sure if Mr. Palmer were still alive, he’d call Berkshire’s power “ridiculous” as well.