Ray Ainsley
Toronto Daily Star, 13 June 1938
The Wikipedia page for the 1938 U.S. Open provides more details: apparently, Mr. Ainsley hit the ball into the water on the 16th hole. Instead of taking a penalty and taking his next shot on dry land, he repeatedly tried to hit the ball out of the water. His score of 19 remains the U.S. Open record.
The worst score ever for a single hole in PGA Tour history was the 23 scored by Tommy Armour in 1927 at the Shawnee Open. Armour, ironically, had just won the U.S. Open the previous week.
Created June 9, 2025.