On Sept. 2, this writer recorded an eagle on the 345-yard, par-4 14th hole at Fairlawn Golf Course in Poland from the senior tees using a driver and a 5-wood. Never having had a hole-in-one on a par-3, or an eagle on a par-4, this feat begged the question: Which of those two is more difficult?

The PGA of America had no answer for this, but Randy Hodsdon, Maine State Golf Association Director of Rules and Competition, offered his thoughts.

“The odds of a hole in one on a par-3 are 12,000-to-one,” he said. “The odds of a double eagle are a million to one. The par-4 eagle? Well there are a wide range of odds on that.

“On a normal course,” he said, “it has got to be thousands to one.”

Arguments on the degree of difficulty for both holes are strong. This writer was shocked by what he was told by Mike Hudkins of Orlando, Fla., who played Fairlawn and Sunday River last week while visiting his father-in-law, Jack Manning of Casco.

“I’ve never had a hole-in-one,” said Hudkins of, who plays to a 10 handicap. “But I have had double figures of eagles on par 4s.”

That is contrasted by the fact that there are many players who are physically incapable of hitting the ball far enough to put it in the cup with just two shots on par-4 holes. They can, however, hit it far enough to get it into the jar on many a par-3.

Then there is the fact that on a par-3, the golfer is hitting off a tee pin from a tee box, while the second shot on a par-4 is from the fairway and/or the rough, making it more difficult.

The thinking here was that there were more people with par 3 holes-in-one than people with eagles on par 4s, but since the PGA of America does not compile comparative statistics on this subject, a case can be made for both. Personally, this writer is extremely disappointed that he could not provide more definitive data, but after contacting the PGA and the U.S. Golf Association, he was told nothing was available.

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The PGA of America did make a good move last week by naming Rickie Fowler “PGA Junior League Golf Ambassador.” Fowler is very popular among children in the United States, to the point where he could be considered to be a child idol. Many female adults also are Fowler fans.

The PGA Junior League introduces boys and girls under the age of 13 to the game in a recreational setting. This year more than 30,000 children participated in the Junior League on more than 2,500 teams.

During his career, Fowler has won five PGA tournament championships, including three this year — The Players Championship, Scottish Open and a week ago taking the Deutsche Bank title in Massachusetts.

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Former MSGA tournament director Romeo Laberge was inducted into the Maine Golf Hall of Fame on Sept. 10 at Poland Spring. Laberge held that position for 15 years before retiring last year. A 70-year-old Old Orchard Beach resident, Laberge grew up in New Auburn and was a graduate of St. Dominic Academy.

At MSGA events, Laberge was a beloved figure. Romé also worked as an official at many Maine and New England USGA events, something which he still does.

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The MSGA tournament schedule for this week includes the conclusion of the Maine Mid-Amateur today at Val Halla, a Senior Tour event Tuesday at Augusta, and the Weekend Tournament Friday and Saturday at Riverside. In addition,the Tri-States competition will be Thursday through Saturday at the Manchester Country Club in Vermont, and the Maine Collegiate Championships, overseen by the MSGA, will be Saturday and Sunday at Fairlawn.

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