Simeon Jauhiainen, a junior on the Kennedy High School Boys Golf team, accomplished a golf shot called an albatross at Twin Pines Golf Course on October 14. An albatross is achieved when a player hits three under the par, which is the estimated number of hits required for an expert golfer to get their ball in the hole. 

“[An albatross is] even more difficult than a hole-in-one because you need two good shots instead of one,” Jauhiainen said. In Jauhiainen’s case, he put the ball in the hole in two hits on a par five.

The albatross was made on the fifth hole, which is 459 yards long. Jauhiainen said he used his four iron off the tee onto the fairway and then used a seven iron for 200 yards, which went in the hole.

Jauhiainen has been golfing competitively for the past three years, and picked up the sport when he was 12.

“I was thrilled when I made [the shot], especially when I did something that even some of the best golfers in the world haven’t done,” Jauhiainen said. 

Simeon Jauhiainen’s mom, Janice Jauhiainen, also shared in her son’s happiness. Though she was not there when it happened, she said they shared a time of celebration in their kitchen.

“The smile and joy on Simeon’s face filled me with mom warmth as he has worked very hard at his golf game,” said Janice Jauhiainen.

Along with being a mom, Janice Jauhiainen is also a teacher at Kennedy High School. She said that it is nice to see her son accomplish something rare and get to celebrate it with the school she works at.

“I have a special bond with many KHS teachers as they are my colleagues, my friends and important mentors to my sons,” Janice Jauhiainen said.

Simeon Jauhiainen plans to continue playing golf for as long as he can.

“I’ve got one more season to look forward to with my teammates and hopefully we can get back to state and make a run at the state title if we all improve,” Jauhiainen said.