BARNESVILLE — A Barnesville golfer achieved one of the rarest shots in the sport earlier this month.

On August 7, Brady Gallagher recorded an albatross, also called a double eagle in the United States, during the Circle K Invitational at Eaglesticks Golf Club in Zanesville. An albatross is when a player finishes a certain hole 3-under-par. The only shot better is called a Condor, which is 4-under-par.

The senior performed the feat on the par-5, 493-yard No. 3 hole at the Muskingum County layout.

“I was looking to birdie it (the hole), so I knew I had to get myself in play, make a good second shot for a better shot at birdie,” Gallagher explained. “I hit a driver right down the middle of the fairway that left me 161 yards from the pin. I hit a 9-iron, but I couldn’t really see the pin all that well. It (the shot) looked pretty good from the start. I was just hoping it was going to be the right distance. I saw it land short (of the hole), but the ball disappeared.

“One of the other players I was playing with kind of got excited,” he recalled. “I didn’t really know what to do. I was laughing, but at the same time, I was in shock. It was pretty crazy.”

According to sources, an albatross is an extremely rare score and occurs most commonly on par-5s with a strong drive and a holed approach shot. Holes-in-one on par-four holes (generally short ones) are also albatrosses. The first famous albatross was made by Gene Sarazen in 1935 on the 15th hole at Augusta National Golf Club during the final round of the Masters Tournament. It vaulted him into a tie for first place and forced a playoff, which he won the next day. The sportswriters of the day termed it “the shot heard ’round the world.”

Between 1970 and 2003, only 84 such shots were recorded on the PGA Tour. There have only been 19 during PGA Major Tournaments, with Patrick Reed recording one during last month’s U.S. Open at Oakmont County Club near Pittsburgh. He did so during the first round on hole No. 4.

“I’ve heard of an albatross before,” Gallagher said. “I watch a lot of YouTube, so I’ve seen a couple that professionals have done, but I’ve never met anybody that has had one.

“It’s a pretty nice feeling. I’m not going to lie. It feels nice.”

Gallagher said he had played that hole several times but had never come close to that. “In my entire career, I’ve never holed out from a distance like that,” he admitted. “I’ve had a few eagles, but never had a hole in one, either.”

As for his round, “I didn’t play that great after the hole. I shot a 75 but that (the albatross) was definitely the highlight of the round.”

Veteran Barnesville golf coach Jerry Robinson, in his 26th season, has never had a player shoot an albatross.

“I’ve had a couple kids have hole-in-ones during practice or during a match, but never have I had one make an albatross,” he said. “I was out on the course with another player when I received a text message saying that Brady had made an albatross. I bee-lined my way to where he was on the course. He was all excited … I was so happy for him.

“The probability of that happening is in the millions,” Robinson estimated. “It’s a pretty rare occurrence. It was a special moment for him and our team.”