Golf does not usually deliver shock value like this, but Thursday was different.<\/p>\n
Standing on the tee at Olympic View\u2019s second hole, Luke Bernakevitch pulled his driver on the slightly downhill 305-yard par 4 that dares players to flirt with trouble. Water guards the right side, a treeline paints the left, and a bunker sits greenside, ready to punish anything slightly off.<\/p>\n
Bernakevitch took his swing anyway.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hit a little tight fade at the pin, and it just started fading off the left bunker,\u201d Bernakevitch told Oak Bay News. \u201cIt one bounced, and I heard it hit the flag. My coach and one of the guys up there threw their hands up. It was electric. It was super fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
Seconds later, the disbelief set in.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was pretty shocked. I was like, this actually just happened,\u201d he said. \u201cI said before the shot, this is going to be so dumb if this goes in.\u201d<\/p>\n
And it did. The ace came during the second round of the 36-hole Victoria Police high school golf championship on April 23, and it was not just any hole-in-one. On a par 4, it is recorded as an albatross, one of the rarest feats in the sport. According to the PGA of America<\/a>, the odds sit at roughly six million to one.<\/p>\n It arrived in the middle of a chaotic finish.<\/p>\n Bernakevitch, who began his round on the par-3 fourth hole in a shotgun start, made double-bogey on the hole prior, holed out on No. 2, then followed it up with another double-bogey on his final hole.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, six, one, seven to finish,\u201d he said with a laugh. \u201cIt was an interesting scorecard.\u201d<\/p>\n The moment sparked an instant celebration, with Bernakevitch and his playing partners sprinting down the fairway. Among them were friends Owen Beaulac of Claremont and Tzari Baines<\/a> of Royal Bay.<\/p>\n As the realization began to sink in, there was one person he needed to reach.<\/p>\n \u201cI FaceTimed my dad (Lindsay) right away,\u201d he said. \u201cHe\u2019s a golf pro (at Victoria Golf Club), so I grew up playing with him. He was pretty shocked. He was like, on a par 4?\u201d<\/p>\n This was his second-ever ace, previously recording one at the par-3 ninth hole at VGC.<\/p>\n The April 23 ace capped a tournament that saw Bernakevitch finish third individually in a field of 127 golfers.<\/p>\n His two-day total of 2-over-par, with rounds of 68-78, left him 10 strokes back of Royal Bay\u2019s Carson <\/a>Carroll<\/a>, who won the title at 8-under. Carroll\u2019s teammate Ewan Baldwin finished second.<\/p>\n Bernakevitch held the lead after the opening round.<\/p>\n \u201cI played really well that day. I was hitting it well and made a lot of putts,\u201d said the +4 handicap. \u201cSecond day, I didn\u2019t really get anything going early, but it was still a fun day.\u201d<\/p>\n On the girls\u2019 side, Emma Kral earned a 14-stroke victory in a field of 10 players, finishing at 2-over-par. Vienna Scheffer finished second place at 16-over.<\/p>\n Team-wise, Royal Bay captured the title for a second straight year, also placing a second team in the runner-up spot. Oak Bay finished 10th among 35 teams, with the top three scores counting each day.<\/p>\n The tournament, which dates back to 1987, drew teams from as far north as Port Hardy.<\/p>\n Bernakevitch\u2019s performance adds to a growing list of results that point to a rising talent.<\/p>\n Earlier this month, he won a Junior Players Tour (JPT) event in Chilliwack by 17 strokes, finishing at 10-under-par. Last summer, he captured the B.C. U17 championship by five shots at 9-under.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like a lot of the practice I\u2019ve been doing has paid off,\u201d he said. \u201cJust figuring out how to play well under pressure and having a lot of people around me helping.\u201d<\/p>\n Even with a moment most golfers never experience, the approach has not changed.<\/p>\n \u201cNo one expects to hear about a high school kid making a hole-in-one on a par 4, but when it comes to Luke and golf, I\u2019ve learned to expect the unexpected,\u201d Oak Bay High golf team head coach Aaron Frampton said. \u201cLuke is one of the top junior golfers in B.C. and is just getting better every day. Despite all of this, he\u2019s incredibly humble, grounded and focused.\u201d<\/p>\n Frampton added that what happened after the tournament speaks volumes about his dedication.<\/p>\n \u201cInstead of celebrating a once-in-a-lifetime shot, his plan was to head to the course after dinner to work on some putting,\u201d Frampton said. \u201cThat\u2019s special.\u201d<\/p>\n The reaction, though, still lingers.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was just super fun,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Olympic moment hits home for Peninsula speed skaters in North Saanich<\/a><\/p>\n