Scores on each hole are reported in the same way that course scores are given. Names are commonly given to scores on holes relative to par.
Par A hole score equal to the par of the hole is simply called a par. The term is thought to have originated from the
stock exchange, where it was used to describe the expected value of stocks. The transition to golf was made by writer A. H. Doleman prior to
The Open Championship at
Prestwick in 1870, when he reported what had been described by
David Strath and
James Anderson as the score resulting from "perfect play". The term gave the title to a 1914 British marching tune, "
Colonel Bogey March". As golf became more standardised in the United States, par scores were tightened and recreational golfers found themselves scoring over par, with bogey changing meaning to one-over-par. Scores in excess of one stroke more than par for a hole are known as
double-bogey (two strokes more than par, +2),
triple-bogey (three strokes more than par, +3), and so on. For higher hole scores it is more common for them to be referred to by the number of strokes, or strokes relative to par, rather than as a "
n-tuple bogey". It is considered an achievement to complete a bogey-free round. Completing four bogey-free rounds in professional tournament play is rare. Examples are
Lee Trevino at the 1974
Greater New Orleans Open;
David J. Russell at the 1992
Lyon Open V33;
Jesper Parnevik at the 1995
Volvo Scandinavian Masters;
Manuel Piñero at the 2002
GIN Monte Carlo Invitational;
Diana Luna at the 2011
UniCredit Ladies German Open; and
Jonas Blixt and
Cameron Smith at the 2017
Zurich Classic of New Orleans (a team event). Each of them won the tournament except Piñero, who finished third.
Birdie A hole score of one stroke fewer than par (one under par, −1) is known as a birdie, e.g. 2 strokes to complete a par 3 hole or 4 strokes on a par 5 hole. The
perfect round (score of 54 on a par-72 course) is most commonly described as scoring a birdie on all 18 holes, but no player has ever recorded a perfect round in a professional tournament. During the 2009
RBC Canadian Open,
Mark Calcavecchia scored nine consecutive birdies at the second round, breaking the
PGA Tour record.
Eagle A hole score of two strokes fewer than par (two under par, −2) is known as an eagle, e.g. 2 strokes to complete a par 4 hole or 3 strokes on a par 5 hole. Well-publicised albatrosses include those by
Joey Sindelar at the
2006 PGA Championship, only the third in that competition's history;
Miguel Ángel Jiménez while defending his
BMW PGA Championship title in 2009;
Paul Lawrie in the final round of the
2009 Open Championship;
Shaun Micheel on the final day of the
2010 U.S. Open, only the second ever in that competition;
Pádraig Harrington in the
2010 WGC-HSBC Champions;
Louis Oosthuizen on the final day of the
2012 Masters Tournament, the fourth in that competition's history, the first to be televised, and the first on Augusta's par-five second hole;
Rafa Cabrera-Bello at the
2017 Players Championship; and
Brooks Koepka at the
2018 Players Championship.
Andrew Magee made the only par-four hole-in-one in PGA Tour history at the
Phoenix Open in 2001.
Condor Condor is an unofficial name for a hole score of four strokes fewer than par (four under par, −4). A condor is also known as a double albatross, or a triple eagle. or a three on a par-seven (which is not known to have been achieved). as are par-sevens. As of May 2023, a condor had been recorded only five times on a par-5, once reportedly on a straight drive (a record ), aided by the thin air at high altitude in
Denver). Another was reportedly achieved with a 3-iron club (in 1995 on a horseshoe-shaped par-5 hole). In December 2020, a condor on a par-6 was recorded on the 18th hole at
Lake Chabot Golf Course in
Oakland, California. A condor has never been achieved during a professional tournament. ==Scorecard==