What a golf ball looks like when it’s shot by an Army marksman

There are 78 golfers playing the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, 132 playing the PGA Tour’s Barracuda Championship, 132 playing the LPGA Tour’s Drive On Championship, 132 playing the European Tour’s Hero Open, 156 playing the Korn Ferry Tour’s Pinnacle Bank Championship and 81 playing the Champions Tour’s Ally Challenge. 

Few, if any, may be as accurate with a golf ball as Carl Clegg. 

The staff sergeant with the Army Marksmanship Unit shot a golf ball. Off a tee. With a 1911 gun. One-handed. From 25 yards away. 

Golfers have trick shots with a golf ball. Army marksmen, apparently, do too. 

“It’s time for a #TrickShotTuesday with the @USAMUSoldiers Service Pistol Team,” the Army’s Twitter account tweeted recently under a video of the shot. “Staff Sgt. Carl Clegg shoots a golf ball off a tee, bullseye style (shooting with one hand), at 25-yards. Trick shots are only attempted after hours on the range and proven mastery of the fundamentals.”

Clegg, at Phillips Range at Fort Benning, Ga., takes aim at the white ball sitting on a red tee pegged into a post. He aims for a few seconds. He shoots. 

The ball shoots off the tee. 

“There you go,” Clegg said. “All right, it looks like I still got some of the tee left, the actual golf tee. I’m going to try to see if I can actually shoot the tee itself.” 

The head of the tee shoots off.  

Clegg walks into the range to check. 

The ball landed a few yards away. The bullet entered in the top third of the ball and exited through the back. The base of the tee remains. The head of the tee is gone. 

A hole – in one ball.