Norman finally has to stump up for ace

Saturday 26th February 2011, 2:29PM GMT.

Norman Wood, left, with his former European tour colleague Peter Alliss. (Picture by Steve Sarre, 0489231)

NORMAN WOOD joked that it had been ‘the Scotsman in me’ which had stopped him from holing in one until Thursday, 50 years after he took up golf.

The former Royal Guernsey Golf Club professional and 1975 Ryder Cup player, had all but given up hope of joining the Hole In One Society, but he holed his tee shot at the seventh at L’Ancresse and was happy to stump up the cash to buy everyone a drink back in the clubhouse.

The five-iron was a good shot, too.

‘It wasn’t a fluke. It went straight at the hole, pitched about 10ft from the pin, bounced once and dribbled up and dropped in.’

Wood was stunned and so was his fourball playing partner Peter Bachmann, who had already put his tee-shot to six feet and saw it not count.