Even ten years removed from his time playing as a college golfer it's clear Pace Johnson has game. The Clovis West grad played at Cal where he was teammates with Michael Weaver and six time PGA TOUR winner Max Homa.
Trying to raise money for College Golf Fellowship, Pace set out for something of a golf marathon at Sunnyside Country Club with some donors giving $1 for every hole played. "I knew it had to be a team thing," Johnson said. "It just didn't sound fun to go out there and play for an entire day by myself and go for it."
He was the first one through the gates at 5:20 AM and had his first tee shot in the air at 5:45 AM. "Planned out throughout the day 14 different volunteers that were coming in on 'two hour shifts'," he said.
Running between shots, his caddies got him yardages to flags while also repair divots and ball marks. Nicholas Schultz was one of those caddy volunteers who described "a lot of sprinting."
Johnson wasn't reading putts and didn't have a pre-shot routine. "I just had a number, would grab a club and hit it."
Those hits coming in the heat of a Fresno summer where Thursday's high hit 108 degrees. "My neck and my back were getting pretty tight and I was like 'ooo man I'm on the verge of cramping," he said.
He made the decision to finish the day at 8:10 PM, the official sunset time. When his last putt fell, with a 56 degree wedge, he had played 283 holes, a number just shy of 16 rounds of golf. More impressive than the total holes was the total score. Johnson shooting a combined 14 under par recording 62 birdies and three eagles. "There were definite periods throughout the day where I caught myself getting into a rhythm," he said.
He shot 6 rounds in the 60's with his 13th round the lowest of the day; seven under, 65. "One shows his endurance and two shows his talent," said Michael Cliff, a former Fresno State golfer who helped Johnson throughout the day. "He's got the background of an elite amateur player."
While his competitive days are in the past Johnson's found an outlet for his game and says it might not be his last fundraiser for the College Golf Fellowship. "The world needs hope and I just hope that something like this would help share the Good News."
RECORD NOTES
*Johnson played Sunnyside from the tips (6,950 yards) in just over 14 hours and rode in a cart.
**Per Keith Berry, head professional at Riverside Golf Course, Johnson breaks the record for holes played in a day in the city of Fresno. Russ Taylor set the previous mark at 252 at Fort Washington Country Club.
***The Guinness World Record for holes played in a 24 hour period is 851 holes set by Robb James in Canada during the Summer Solstice in 2004.