Cole Buchanan makes first ace of the state's Special Olympics program

At the Special Olympics Regional Tournament held July 23 at Snohomish (Wash.) GC, Special Olympian Cole Buchanan took out an 8-iron on the 130-yard par-3 fifth hole and knocked it in the hole for an ace, the first hole-in-one in the history of the state’s Special Olympic program. Cole plays on the Fairwood Flyers, the golf team sponsored by the Fairwood G&CC and coached by Fairwood member Jackie Booth.

Cole’s father Steve was caddying for him that day, and was the first to approach the green on the uphill hole; he looked around but didn’t see the ball anywhere, and then glanced in the hole and there it was. He then let Cole remove the ball from the hole.

The person with Cole in the picture is Marcus King (on the left), the most recent past president of the Pacific Northwest Section PGA.