Kennedy golfer cards a hole-in-one at Dwan

Bloomington Kennedy High School senior Ryan Kardell carded a hole-in-one at the Bloomington Invite golf tournament at Dwan Golf Course on April 17. 

Kardell, who captains the Kennedy team, used a 9-iron on the Par 3, 134-yard 18th hole for the ace.

“My initial reaction when I saw it land was just silence. I held my breath as it rolled towards the hole. It was surreal and unlike anything I’ve ever felt before,” said Kardell, reflecting on the moment. “When we saw it drop, the guys I was playing with and I started jumping up and down and screaming while running towards the green.”

“It happened in front of a whole bunch of players from the tournament and many teammates. What a fun way to end,” said assistant golf coach John Raymond. “People golf their whole lives and never get a hole-in-one. To have done this at 18 years old in front of people is amazing.”

Kardell has advice for other golfers hoping for an ace saying, “sometimes they come out of luck, but the majority of the time they are the result of practice, practice and more practice. Really grind it out and play as much as you can to better yourself every day to get one to drop one day,” said Kardell.

The Bloomington Invite was one of the team’s first meets of the season. The Kennedy team placed eighth overall.