But that's exactly what happened to Shepparton product and professional golfer Kyle Michel on Tuesday last week at Shepparton Golf Club.
Michel, 24, scored a personal best 58 on the par 72 course, only to find himself one point behind overall A-grade winner Gavan Mears in the stableford event.
It may have been a career best performance at his old stomping ground, but Michel's +9 handicap resulted in the right-handed wiz finishing on 41 points.
Michel's 9 handicap meant that he needed to shoot nine-under and score 36 stableford points, but the pro smashed that task out of the ball park.
“It was nice to get it going last Tuesday,” Michel said.
“Fifty-eight off the stick is my best score at Shepparton, and the course record is 64 in a medal stroke event. It was really nice to be hitting them well.
“I actually played in the same group as Gavan and he was hitting the ball really well.”
Since turning pro late last year, Michel spent the previous summer biding his time on some of Australia's and the globe's pristine courses.
But like most sports in 2020, golf has been forced into lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
And that has left Michel desperate to scratch his competitive tournament itch — which he hasn't been able to do since March.
“It's been difficult, I haven't been able to train one-on-one with my coach for a few months now,” Michel said.
“And because there are no tournaments at the moment, it's hard to know what you are preparing for because normally you pencil in upcoming tournaments to work towards.
“But I know that I've just got to be chipping away at it.”
Michel indicated that there might be some tournaments in January, but until then, expect to see the young pro's name bob up at more Shepparton events.
“I haven't had a long stint at home like this since I moved to Melbourne, so it's been good,” he said.
“It's great to see all the members and familiar faces of people that you haven't seen in ages.
“I always enjoy stopping and having a chat with everyone.”
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