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Ian Healy’s miraculous hole-in-one at the Ridgeways
Ian Healy the world renowned wicketkeeper can be good looking off the tee. His drives carry 250 yards or more as the crow flies and he has been identified as methodical and calculating through the course.

He arrived once again in the country as a TV commentator for Ten Sports covering the Sri Lanka, West Indies and India triangular and as time became available he moved on to the Ridgeways of the Royal Colombo for pleasurable rounds with his TV pals. Playig off 12 he was in topping form a couple of days ago going out with a 3 over par39 which included 5 pars through 3270 yards. “I was untidy missing 2 cozy putts,” he volunteered at the hut by the 9th tee.
Coming in.

After a breather and a chilled Carlsberg, Healy walked to the 10th tee with his two pals. He pulled out his ‘Nig Bertha’ and went for the usual long distance shot. Off the tee the shot was perfect moving high, mighty and dead centre. The ball dropped on the centre of the fairway and rushed down to take the green and crawl up into the cup… a distance of 332 yards. The caddies jumped for joy and started what appeared to look like an African war dance while the quartet on the 11th tee plus a few course officials on the course stood bewildered. Healy joined in the jubilation and continued his round to end on 35 with 6 pars and an albatross. A magnificent shot by all standards performed only twice before in the 125-year-old history of the Royal Colombo. It is claimed and proven that every golf shot that responds with a Hole-In-One has had guidance from the omnipotent. Had it not been so such an achievement would not have been so infrequent. Some golfers play a long life time seeking this elusive Hole-In-One and for others the gift from the omnipotent comes earlier.

As tradition has it Healy had to play host to all the Club House which he happily performed after which he settled to give us a bal lby ball commentary of his majestic round of35 plus 30 nett 62.

Further celebrations followed with Ranil Abeynaike and Ian Chappell joining in at Club 49, the residence of Gerry Delilkhan. Foreign visitors made passing complaints that their tee shots on the 6th and 12th were pinched by course intruders and their balls vanished. Caddies were un-cooperative.

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