Ah, the hole-in-one. Golf's white whale.

Anyone who's had one calls it skill, and anyone who hasn't calls it luck. Anyone who tricks a reporter in Kitsap, Wash., into thinking a foursome of his buddies each had one in a single round…well, anyone who does that just calls it comedy.

We'll explain, with a hat tip to Golf Digest's Derek Evers, who turned us on to this story.

Turns out a report filed last week about each member of a Washington foursome recording an ace in a single outing was a hoax, the work of a local comedian. Make that a self-titled comedian.

Cris Larsen, the aforementioned jester, told Kitsap Sun reporter Jeff Graham about this bizarre occurrence two weeks ago. Of course, since he's funny, it was a lie. Larsen's group, which included the course's director of golf, hit their shots from the tee and then rolled the balls in with their hands, according to a very earnest and quietly seething retraction issued by Graham himself.

The story turned out to be one dumb joke on me and you, the reader.

Larsen delivered the punchline Wednesday morning at a meeting of the East Bremerton Rotary Club. Kitsap Sun Editor David Nelson was sitting in the room when Larsen announced, with a laugh, that he'd put one over on the Sun.

Ah, yes. The East Bremerton Rotary Club. Where Seinfeld got his start. Or was it Carrot Top? I don't remember. Details don't matter -- just ask Cris Larsen.

They're back!

The Golf Boys -- the "musical" group of Ben Crane, Hunter Mahan, Rickie Fowler and Bubba Watson -- performed their hit "Oh, Oh, Oh" Tuesday night at Bubba Bash in Columbus, Ohio.

Watson's Bubba Bash is a Christian rap concert that raises money for a medical clinic in Kenya.

5-year-old makes hole-in-one in Wisconsin
Gary D'Amato of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel posts an item that will make you laugh or cry, depending on how long you've waited for your first ace:

YOUNG ACE: Max Frieseke of Glendale smacked a drive and watched his ball soar toward the green, bounce onto it and roll into the cup for a hole-in-one. Good for him, but what's the big deal? Well, Max is 5 years old and is finishing K-4 at Holy Family Parish School in Whitefish Bay. He used the driver from his starter set to ace the 53-yard third hole at Lake Park Golf Course while playing recently with his parents, Bob and Beth Frieseke. "Beth and I were going crazy," Bob said. "We were more excited about it than Max was. In his mind, he thought it was like a hole-in-one in mini-golf."

Montgomerie might set his sights on the 'senior grand slam'
After failing to qualify for this year's U.S. Open, 49-year-old Colin Montgomerie said he might turn his attention to the 'senior grand slam' when he turns 50 next June, according to Martin Dempster of The Scotsman.

“I may as well come clean and say I am tempted by the idea of a ‘senior grand slam’,” admitted the eight-time European No 1. “A tall order, I know, but golfing dreams are not solely the preserve of the young.

“I turn 50 a month ahead of the 2013 Senior Open and I will see how I enjoy the camaraderie that week. I’m beginning to suspect I will like it a lot. I will be in the class of ’63 that includes Vijay Singh and Davis Love."

Montgomerie is our choice for best player to never win a major -- sorry, Luke -- and we look forward to seeing him on the senior tour.

UPDATE: Tiger's niece to play in Wegmans LPGA Championship

Golfweek.com reports that Tiger Woods's niece Cheyenne Woods will make her debut as a professional at the Wegmans LPGA Championship on June 7.

Cheyenne Woods, a recent Wake Forest graduate, will play her first tournament as a professional June 7-10 at the Wegmans LPGA Championship. It’s the second major of the LPGA season.

Woods, the niece of Tiger Woods, will play Wegmans on a sponsor exemption. She also played this event in 2009 as an amateur but missed the cut. That was her first start in a professional tournament.

Tweet of the Day

Golf Boys just went live at @bubbasbash #goodthingwecanplaygolf

— Rickie Fowler (@RickieFowlerPGA) May 30, 2012

Keeping his promise to participate in the Tim Tebow Foundation Celebrity Golf Classic less than a week after his Masters victory wasn't the only good deed done by Bubba Watson this past weekend. Bubba also brought a gift for his buddy Tebow—his player's badge from Augusta National that just so happened to be emblazoned with the number 15, according to Hays Carlyon of the Florida Times-Union.

“I knew I’d see Tim in a week,” Watson said. “I told my caddie, I’m going to keep it unopened, and I’m going to hand it to him. I just felt like I should give it to him. It’s his football number, and I thought he might want it more now that I won."

“It was very special,” Tebow said. “He didn’t have to do anything like that. He’s just an amazing guy. He’s been so supportive of me and my foundation. He really cares about giving back and making a difference. He has a huge platform, and I think it will continue to increase, because he’s so real. He’s so genuine.”

Watson said he always intended to play in the charity event, despite his busy schedule after winning the Masters.

“I’m honored to be here,” Watson said. “I’m honored that he asked me to play in it. It’s for a great cause. It has a great champion with great character in Tim Tebow, so why would I not be here?”

Evel Knievel's son hopes to qualify for U.S. Open

The late Evel Knievel made a name for himself with his daredevil antics on a motorcycle. Now his son, Kelly Knievel, is looking to make his name on the golf course, setting his sights for the U.S. Open according to a tweet from the USGA.

Kelly Knievel, the 51-yo son of daredevil Evel Knievel, has filed a US Open entry. Knievel is an amateur from Las Vegas, with a 0.6 Index.

— USGA U.S. Open (@usopengolf) April 13, 2012

Kelly Knievel is an accomplished player. Last May, he fell in a playoff to 17-year-old Taylor Montgomery for the Southern Nevada Amateur, according to Ryan Ballengee. He also is a past winner of the Las Vegas City Amateur title.

His father also played golf, sporting a single-digit handicap before his death in 2007. Here's hoping the U.S. Open doesn't become Kelly's Snake River Canyon.

Cart path prompts two holes-in-one at high school tryout

Two freshman golfers notched nearly identical hole-in-ones during their tryout for their high school golf team, reports Tom Mix of the West Central Tribune. Brandon Winter and Collin Larson both aced the 140-yard, par-3 hole No. 4 at Rose Creek Golf Course in Fargo, N.D., using 9-irons during a qualifying round of team tryouts.

That's right—same club, same hole, same day.

“In all my 22 years of coaching, I don’t know if I’ve heard anything like that happening,” Fargo Davies coach Steve Kennedy said. “I can’t recall any of my players ever hitting a hole-in-one in practice or during a tournament. I know some of them had holes-in-one, but never during high school. Then to have two in one day on the same hole, it was exciting.”

Adding to the madness, both players hit nearly identical shots—coming up short, only to receive a helpful kick from the cart path.

“When I saw it bounce up and start rolling, I was just hoping I would get close,” Larson said. “Then when it dropped in, I couldn’t believe it.” 

Winter’s shot was equally as bouncy and exciting. 

“It was kind of surprising, because the first couple holes didn’t go my way,” Winter said. “Right away when I shot it I kind of looked up, so my shot went kind of crazy. It bounced off the cart path, it rolled in and I just didn’t know what to do so I just stood there.”

The aces were the first for both youngsters. No word on whether they made the team, though. 

Tweet of the Day

#1 again without touching a golf club this week....I wish it was that easy!

— Rory Mcilroy (@McIlroyRory) April 15, 2012

Every couple of years a hole-in-one story surfaces that sounds too improbable to be true. In 2007, for example, Jacqueline Gagne of California claimed to have carded 16 holes-in-one in six months, a feat so heavily covered—and challenged—by the press that Gagne hired a publicist. The media never definitively disproved her claim, but as more and more reporters investigated the evidence, the ace spree became less and less credible.

Now comes news of Curt Hocker, a 22-year-old from El Paso, Ill., who from Oct. 29 through Nov. 4 claims to have made five aces at El Paso Golf Club (he has witnesses for each).  "If somebody told me they made five holes in one in a week, even on a par-3 course, I'd say 'No way'," Hocker told the Peoria (Ill.) Journal Star. "It's unbelievable. I'm just stunned. There's nothing I can say, other than it's unreal.”

Give credit to the Journal Star reporter who “spoke to everyone I could at the club, trying to get a sense if freak week in fact happened.” His conclusion: If it didn’t happen, “it's an incredibly complex hoax involving more than 30 people.”

That’s fairly convincing evidence, but why does it always seem that the same golfers who pull off these miracles also have some other stunning accomplishment on their resumes?

Gagne claimed to have shot a course-record 61 at a track called Eagle Falls. (The pro there later told Golf Digest: "We had just punched the greens, and I couldn't make a 10-foot putt that day. But she came right into the shop and said she'd shot 61.") And Hocker? He has two other aces this year in addition to last week’s quintet, and five of the seven came on par 4s.

"You almost want to think it's a bunch of crap," El Paso’s club champion told the Journal Star. "Especially on the holes he’s got them on. Nos. 12 and 18? I get [to the green] about once or twice a year, and I hit it as long as almost anyone. It's unbelievable.” (The 12th and 18th, both par 4s, measure 328 yards and 355 yards from the tips.)

“Unbelievable” is a word you hear a lot when these stories break. And for good reason: They’re not believable. That doesn’t mean they’re not true. It just means that without witnessing the feat in person (or at least on YouTube), you can’t get yourself to believe it actually happened. Which is why if I ever make a hole-in-one, I’m taking some time off from golf. I mean, God forbid I jarred another ace a week later. No one would believe me.