High Schooler Shoots 60?!?

[dennyjones]

This is a panel discussion regarding a player who shot 60 the other day.  Although there is no proof he cheated, his school has a history of cheating.  They were disqualified a few years back.

[boogielicious]

Kids these days!

[saevel25]

How does Michigan handle their HS tournaments? When I played HS golf, we exchanged scorecards. I don’t get how a kid could get away with cheating on a score of 60. Unless kids are not even counting the others strokes taken. I would keep track both of mine and my opponents the entire round. 

Anyways, it would be sad if the cheating is true. 

[iacas]

I mean, the video is an hour long, so… @dennyjones, any time stamps to check out? 🙂 Cuz otherwise…

[saevel25]

8 minutes ago, iacas said:

I mean, the video is an hour long, so… @dennyjones, any time stamps to check out? 🙂 Cuz otherwise…

Yea, I used YouTube’s Ai to summarize the video for me into bullet points. 😊

[iacas]

18 minutes ago, saevel25 said:

Yea, I used YouTube’s Ai to summarize the video for me into bullet points. 😊

Well what does it say? Paste it here!

[saevel25]

2 hours ago, iacas said:

Well what does it say? Paste it here!

"This video features a roundtable discussion hosted by Michigan Golf Live regarding a controversial high school golf score of 60 (11 under par) recently posted by a student at Anchor Bay High School.

Key Discussion Points:

The Controversy: The score has generated significant skepticism among the golfing community, with viewers and industry experts debating its legitimacy. The host notes that despite multiple invitations, the Anchor Bay coach declined to join the program to discuss the round (5:38).

Historical Context: Guests, including former coach Rob McIntyre and rules official Terry Kildday, reflect on a 2018 controversy involving the same schools, where suspiciously low regional scores were not replicated at state finals, causing significant frustration for competing teams like Rochester Adams (10:40, 13:10).

Scrutiny of Scorekeeping: The panel emphasizes that the modern IWR (I Wanna Maker) app system, while helpful, lacks the accountability of traditional walking scorers. There is a consensus among the guests that high school golf often lacks rigorous rule enforcement, leaving too much room for "creative" scorekeeping or simple misunderstandings of the rules (24:48, 54:43).

Probability vs. Talent: While the guests acknowledge the possibility of a "round of a lifetime," they point to statistical probability tools suggesting such a score for a typical high school player is mathematically extreme (7:43, 31:32).

Conclusion: The participants generally agree that while they wish to celebrate exceptional youth athletic achievements, the lack of transparency, verification, and willingness from the involved parties to address questions makes it difficult to definitively endorse the record. The conversation serves as a broader call for higher standards, better education on the rules of golf, and more proactive oversight in high school tournaments to "protect the field" (1:02:22)."

I was curious about the statical improbability, so I asked it to go more into that part. I know the USGA has probabilities, but that takes into account the differential. 

"The host explains that they utilized a mobile app designed to analyze the statistical probability of golf scores to evaluate the 11-under-par round. (6:15 - 6:26) Because the student had no established scoring record (with only a single posted score of 83), the team ran several hypothetical scenarios through the app's filter:

15 Handicap: The app determined the score was practically impossible. (7:13 - 7:16)

5 Handicap: Testing the score for a 5 handicap yielded the same outcome as the 15 handicap. (7:20- 7:26)

Scratch Golfer: When they ran the calculation for a scratch golfer—someone who should theoretically be capable of playing at a high level—the app estimated that such a person would shoot an 11-under-par round only once every 5,214 years. (7:30 - 7:53)"

[iacas]

I mean, looking at the leaderboard, several other kids shot in the 60s. No?

Miles Russell is a high school kid. He made the cut on the KFT as a freshman.

[Ty_Webb]

It seems to me to be pretty harsh to lay the school having a history for dodgy scores at the feet of a kid at the school now, but 60 is loooooooooow. If his only other listed score is an 83, the alarm bells are ringing. As Erik says there are high school kids out there who could shoot scores like that, although I would think we'd know their names. I'm falling in the trust but verify and the fact that verifying has proven challenging would lead me towards there are likely shenanigans going on here.

[dennyjones]

Thanks, Matt, for the AI summary.   I found the probability interesting.   It was mentioned that the host talked to a college coach, and no college coaches were knocking down his door trying to recruit him.   He was on the JV team last year, this year being the only time on varsity.

[boogielicious]

Kim Jong Un shot a 39 the first time he ever played. So low scores are possible. 😜

[bkuehn1952]

The following was posted online by someone who appears to know what he is talking about:

This tournament was 5,619 yards (par 71), so below an average 18-hole high school varsity event. All four par-3's were 152 yards or less (with one measuring 99 and another 128). The longest par 5 was 489 yards. 

The student has a GHIN handicap account dating back to 2022 with -0- scores posted. I could believe a score of 30 for nine holes but performing at that level for 18 holes would be a stretch. Ultimately, the kid is going to need to perform at a fairly high level from now on for anyone to believe this score.