Every golfer, from hackers to scratch players, yearns to someday make a hole in one. Few succeed. Even one of the game’s all-time great shotmakers, Ben Hogan, never had the pleasure of watching his tee shot roll into the cup.

Because of the element of luck involved, I’m guessing high handicappers probably make as many or more aces than low handicap players. My friend Barry Warner, aka the Houston Sportsmouth, is a great example.

Warner couldn’t break 125 with a pencil and an eraser. But he made a hole in one some years ago in Jack Pardee’s charity event at Lake Conroe, Knowing I’d never made a hole in one, Warner promptly called me on his cell phone to rub it in.

And he’s never shut up about it, even though I now have two.

What this is building up to is an Associated Press report out of Green Valley, Ariz., last week. It seems Robert Dunham, an 85-year-old legally blind World War II veteran, made a hole on the 100-yard, No. 3 hole at a course called Tortuga.

Dunham was playing in a group with other blind veterans and a volunteer assistant who gives them a club and lines them up for their shot. He hit a 9-iron, the ball landed on the green, took one hop and plopped into the cup.

Cheer erupted, followed by high fives.

“I thought they were kidding me,” said Dunham, who obviously was unable to see what happened. “I told them, you guys better not be pulling my leg.”

Maybe I can arrange a match between Dunham and Warner. If so, I’m betting on Dunham.

CHIP SHOTS: Jim Humphrey of Vidor is Southeast Texas’ latest entry in the hole-in-one derby. Humphrey, using a 7-iron, aced the 158-yard, 7th hole at Bayou Din. The shot was witnessed by Jerry Humphrey . . . Chris Stroud, who has missed the cut in four of his last five PGA Tour events, and wasn’t sure when he was going to play again, caught a break with a sponsor’s exemption into this week’s Verizon Heritage event on the Harbour Town Golf Links at Hilton Head. He has an 8 a.m. tee time on Thursday . . . Buddy Silcox shot a net 67 to win the Friday Seniors at Belle Oaks. Mike Hebert was second with a 68 and Larry Guidry was third at 69. Norm Shannon (No. 3) and Jim Brown (No. 12) were closest to the hole winners . . . In the Friday Seniors at Belle Oaks, Bob Sharpless won with a net 64. There was a three-way tie for second, with Barry Jackson, Raymond Rice and Hebert all shooting 68s. Jackson was the closest to the hole winner at No. 15 . . . The Babe Zaharias Senior Game was played in a 2 Best Ball format. The foursome of Art Lecoq, George Besse, Jim Stimac and Paul Brown won. Placing second was the team of Ben Thornton, Henry Taylor, Joe Benoit and John Culbertson. No scores were reported. Culbertson (No. 7) and Tommy Trahan (No. 15) were closest to the pin winners . . . Richard Briggs carded a net 65 to win the Wednesday Seniors at The Palms at Pleasure Island. Joe Landry was second with a 68, followed by Butch Strange at 69. Ray Trahan won closest to the pin . . . The Bayou Din DogFight was won by the team of John Williams, Butch Cross, Ray Gallier and Jess McPhillips. They finished 18&7. Second place went to the foursome of Larry Norvell, Bill Hatfield, J.R. Bardin and Gary Anderson (17&6). Third at 16&4 was the team of Mitch Priddy, William Hickman, Gene Harrison and Don Nebel . . . The team of Kenny Robbins, Larry Johnson, Luke Anderson and Robert Lynch won the Babe Zaharias DogFight at 17&6. Second at 15&@ was the foursome of Rick Pritchett, Tom Lawton, Ed Hetzel and Dave Martin. Closest to the pin winners were Wadsworth Thompson (No. 2) Robbins (No. 7, No. 12) and Vernon Drummond (No. 15) . . . Three teams tied for first in the Belle Oaks DogFight. The team of Greg Morgan, Allen Sohoski, David English and John House finished 15&5. The team of Hilario Padia, Tim Turner, Joe Bennett and Joby Irvine came in at 15&4. The team of John Williams, Scott Meents, Roland Burris and Gene Harrison was 15&1. Closest to the pin winners were Richard Briggs (No. 3) and Williams (No. 15). Meents defeated Charlie Huckaby in the Belle Oaks DogFight Top Ten Shootout . . . Lack of entries has led to the cancellation of the inaugural Wildwood Invitational scheduled for this weekend at Wildwood Golf Club . . . Entries are still being taken for the Port Arthur Sertoma Club’s 19th annual tournament benefiting children and adults with speech and hearing defects. The four-person scramble, with an entry fee of $75 per player, is set for Friday, April 25 at Belle Oaks. The entry fee includes a free round of golf at Belle Oaks during the week of the tournament. Call Jim Silvernail at 796-1195 for more information.

Golf results should be e-mailed to Bob West at rdwest@usa.net or faxed to 724-6854.