Penn State Intercom......April 25, 2002
Golf pro breaks
Guinness World Record
Christopher Cain plays 505 holes
in 12 hours to raise thousands
of dollars for charity
Christopher
Cain, the PGA head golf professional at the Penn State Golf Courses, broke
the Guinness World Record for the most golf holes played in 12 hours on
April 17. Cain played a total of 505 holes, shattering the old record
of 476. 
Cain finished his 477th hole at 11 hours 14 minutes and 39 seconds, which was more than 45 minutes ahead of Brannan Robertson of Sarasota Fla., who held the old record of 476. He continued to play and reached his goal of 500 at the 11:47.59 mark. Cain played a five-hole loop on the Penn State White Course and averaged roughly seven minutes per loop for the entire 12-hour period.
More important
than the Guinness record attempt was Cain's desire to raise contributions
for the Second Mile Foundation and the Professional Golf Management Student
Society (PGMSS). The Second Mile, founded by former Penn State football
defensive coordinator Jerry 
Sandusky,
annually benefits nearly 100,000 at-risk youth. The PGMSS, for which Cain
serves as a mentor, helps shape future golf professionals. The goal was
to raise $50,000 for the charities. As of the press time, the amount raised
was still being determined.
"Yesterday I felt like I could get the record, but I did not think I could reach 500. Once I surpassed the record I got a third wind. I also knew that the more holes I played the more we raised. If that is not motivation I don't know what is," Cain said.
Cain, a 1998 Penn State
graduate, had been training specifically for the event for nearly a year.
He visited the PGA National Golf Club in January, where he took a fitness
assessment 
test
in order to develop a training program for the 90 miles he would have
to cover during the event. Cain is an accomplished golfer, tying the Penn
State White Course record of 63 in May 2001.
Penn State is not new to the Guinness World Record, as the mark once belonged to another Happy Valley resident. Doug Wert, general manager/director of Penn State's golf courses, held the record when played 440 holes in 12 hours in June 1993. That record stood until 2000.
Donations still can be made per hole or lump sum. To do so, e-mail Cain at cpc108@psu.edu or call (814) 863-0254 or 863-0257. More information can be found at http://www.psu.edu/golfcourses.