BBC’s Radio Two DJ Chris Evans is leading a world-record attempt for the fastest 18-holes of golf at Golf Live this weekend.
The One Show presenter will be among 25 golfers tackling the feat this Saturday and Sunday (19 and 20 May) as they try to break the existing benchmark of seven minutes and 56 seconds.
The rapid feat will be attempted on the London Golf Club’s Jack Nicklaus-designed Heritage Course, with players playing the 10th, 17th and 18th holes six times each – creating a 6,252-yard par-66 course.
Joining Evans in this endeavour will be a number of the top professional players appearing at the three-day Golf Live event. Ryder Cup-winning captain Colin Montgomerie and nine-time Major winner Gary Player will be taking part on both days, while Solheim Cup star Melissa Reid and European Tour winner Oli Fisher will be involved on the Saturday, with Fisher’s Tour colleagues Thomas Levet and Pablo Larrazabal taking their places on Sunday.
Evans is searching for another 20 low-handicap players to participate and will be selecting lucky golfers from respondents to an appeal he has put out on Twitter.
The 25-strong team will be positioned strategically around the three holes with the nearest players striking the ball as soon as it comes to rest and each hole teeing off as soon as a putt is sunk on the previous green.
The existing record was set in 2008 under similar conditions, but with 40 golfers, on the Monument Course at Boyne Mountain, Michigan, and hopes are high that the Golf Live attempt will register a faster time.
Montgomerie said: “I’ve done a lot of things in golf but this would be a new one on me. Setting a world record would be a fantastic achievement and I think we can definitely shave at least a few seconds off the current time.
“Golf Live is all about letting normal golfers get up close with Tour players and what better way to do that than have them all working together to set a new world record.”
Both world-record attempts will act as curtain-raiser to the All-Star Play-Off, Golf Live’s daily finale where the event’s big-name golfers and celebrity attendees put their golfing prowess to the test – giving visitors one last chance to see them in action.
Golf Live takes place at the London Golf Club from 18-20 May and, throughout each day, golf fans will be able to get up close and personal with some of the biggest stars in the game as they take part in skills clinics and mingle with visitors.