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Golf
pro breaks Guinness World Record
April
17, 2002
 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.
For photos of the
event taken by Greg Grieco, click on the images below.
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