Golf is hard, and for evidence of that, you only need to consider the number of times even the world's best players come a cropper with a bogey, or worse.
Even a single bogey-free round in a tournament is something of an accomplishment for many pros, but putting together a streak without one across multiple rounds on a tour? That's virtually unheard of.
There have been some incredible bogey-free runs over the years, but only one player holds the outright record for the most holes without a bogey.
In the third round of the 2019 AIG Women’s Open at Woburn, South Korean star Jin Young Ko was in contention for her third Major win of the year, sitting four shots off the lead as play began.
After a par to begin her round, she suffered a blow to her challenge with a six on the par 5 second to record a bogey. She recovered well, though, and produced five birdies in an otherwise blemish-free round to remain in touch with the leader.
In the final round, Ko was even more impressive, producing six birdies, this time in a round absent of bogeys, but ultimately, she fell short of her ambition to lift the trophy, finishing third, two shots behind winner Hinaku Shibuno.
It was impossible to know it at the time, but Ko was in the midst of a run that would eventually see her achieve something as remarkable as winning the Major – the record for most holes without a bogey.
Later in the month, Ko stormed to victory at the LPGA Tour's CP Women’s Open after a further 72 holes without a bogey, and the run continued into the Cambia Portland Classic, with Ko again going bogey-free after the opening eight holes to sit four under.
Her run finally came to an end after a mammoth 114 holes on the ninth, and it really should have continued - she missed a three-foot putt, to her own disbelief, as she momentarily stared at the ground with her hand on her hip. However, by then the 24-year-old had etched her name into the history books, beating the previous record holder by four holes.
That player? Tiger Woods. The American achieved his incredible run in 2000 when Ko was aged just five. At that point in his career, Woods was virtually unstoppable, winning three Majors alone in the year. His 110-hole run encompassed the final 51 holes of the Canadian Open and the first 59 of the National Car Rental Classic at Disney World.
Given it took 19 years for Woods’ record to be beaten, it could be some time before we see Ko’s achievement surpassed. After her feat, though, she wondered if it could be her. She said: "I did 114 holes and then done. It's cool. So I want to do again, 115 holes bogey-free round hopefully.”
However, she also hinted that the end of the streak brought a certain relief. She added: “But yeah, I'm free. I can focus more on my shot and don't even think about, oh, bogey, bogey, no."
It’s safe to say Ko’s career has hardly suffered for her run ending. In July 2023, she set another record that could take some time to beat, surpassing Lorena Ochoa's total of 159 weeks as the women's World No.1. Despite her soaring career, though, the wait for a 115-hole run without a bogey, either from her or anyone else, continues.
