What's The Hardest Achievement? A Hole-In-One, Nine-Darter Or Maximum 147

They’re the stand-out achievements in their respective sports, but exactly what is more difficult to pull off between a golfing hole-in-one, a maximum snooker break of 147 or the perfect nine-dart darts leg?

It’s a conversation that’s often had and perhaps there’s no right answer, but it’s been brought up again recently during a chat at the snooker between former player Alan McManus and legend of the game Ronnie O’Sullivan.

Scottish potter McManus managed his first hole-in-one on the golf course this summer, but never managed to hit a maximum 147 break on the snooker table during a long career on the baize.

And McManus feels that the snooker achievement is the harder of the three, citing luck on the golf course and the repetitive nature of darts as reasons why.

“I’ve never had a maximum - I had a hole-in-one this summer actually playing golf with John Higgins but there’s a lot of luck involved isn’t there,” McManus said on Eurosport.

“A hole in one there’s a lot of luck involved, darts I don’t think is all that difficult a game and every shot is kind of the same – in snooker every shot’s a little bit different. Obviously I’m going to be a bit biased but a 147 is tough.”

O’Sullivan has made 15 official maximum breaks in his career, and has turned down the chance for a few as well, so he makes it look about as easy as anyone ever has – but he says he finds darts a tough game.

“I’m terrible at darts so I’m flabbergasted at how they keep peppering the treble 20s and doubles and that,” said O’Sullivan.

Fellow snooker player Shaun Murphy chimed in on the subject on social media, as he says he’s managed to achieve all three of the sporting landmarks, adding a nine-darter and hole-in-one to the 147s he’s managed as part of his day job.

Murphy must be in exclusive company to have managed to pull off all three of the ultimate moments in three different sports that require very different skills – with a theme of hand-eye coordination running through them.

Tiger Woods has had 20 holes-in-one in his career, but you can also hear plenty of stories of amateurs both young and old and of all playing ability managing to register an ace, while you could never see a novice stick in a nine-darter or a 147.

So is the hole-in-one all about luck then, and the easiest of the three to achieve? We’d like to hear from readers about your thoughts so let get in touch with us on Twitter @GolfMonthly and let us know.

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