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You are here: Home / Language / How Did the Albatross Get its Name and What is an Albatross or Double Eagle Golf Score?

How Did the Albatross Get its Name and What is an Albatross or Double Eagle Golf Score?

March 16, 2020 by Karen Hill

Albatross is the Spanish word for “pelican,” and although to a mariner it may be bad luck, to a golfer it’s an amazing accomplishment.

More commonly known today as a double eagle, a three under par for an individual hole was originally called an albatross.

Only one has ever been scored in the U.S. Open because the odds of making an albatross are 1 in 5.85 million.

Gene Sarazen accomplished this in 1935.

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Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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