A 700-yard drive on the PGA Tour?
A 700-yard drive on the PGA Tour?
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Did you know that in 1992 John Daly led the PGA Tour in driving distance average with a distance of 283.4! Wow, things have changed! That same year Carl Cooper (Who?) Yes, Carl Cooper had an average of 272.1 for the 12th spot. But Carl Cooper is famous for a much longer drive!
Brent Kelley of about.com gives us the story!
The Story of Carl Cooper's Blast at the 1992 Texas Open
The longest drive on the PGA Tour
Dustin Johnson hit a 463 yard drive in 2011. In 2010, the longest drive was 424 yards. In 2009, it was 467 yards.But did you know that in the PGA Tour's history there was a drive that was more than 300 yards longer than Johnson's 463-yard blast?
A Drive of 787 yards?
That's right, a 787-yard drive actually happened during a PGA Tour event. True story. But as you've probably guessed, it took a lot of curious bounces and some good luck. The golfer was Carl Cooper, who at the time was a 31-year-old journeyman. The tournament was the 1992 Texas Open. Played that year at Oak Hills Country Club in San Antonio. Interestingly, Cooper's drive is not included on the PGA Tour's official "longest drive" list for 1992. The recognized leader was a 308-yard drive by John Daly - one of only two drives in 1992 officially measured at more than 300 yards. Which tells you all you need to know about the explosion in distance since then.The reason is that the PGA Tour's driving stats were compiled using only two designated holes per round. Cooper's mammoth drive, due to circumstances, couldn't be properly measured anyway.
But back to Cooper's drive.
On the par-4, 456-yard third hole, Cooper launched his drive at the 1992 Texas Open. On the fly, the ball hit a downward-running concrete cart path and took off. The ball rolled past the fifth green. Then it passed the sixth tee. It eventually left the cart path and veered onto an unpaved maintenance road. And finally it came to a stop behind the No. 12 green. At many points along its route it could have rolled out of bounds, but the ball somehow stayed on the course.Everyone on site agreed it was a minimum of 750 yards from the No. 3 tee box; some thought it was more than 800. The figure of 787 yards is the one most cited because because Coopers Caddie was the one to detremin the yardage.
A 300 Yard 2nd Shot!
Cooper had around 300 yards just to get back to the correct green. He hit a 4-iron, then an 8-iron, then a chip shot to get back to the No. 3 green. He wound up with a double bogey. Daly led the PGA Tour in driving average in 1992 with a mark of 283.4 yards. Cooper was in 12th place at 272.1 yards. But Carl Cooper is the guy who goes down in history with a 787-yard drive during a PGA Tour event.
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