Top of the Morning, June 17, 2026
· Yahoo Sports
Jun. 17—On Wednesdays, we'll chop it up with our Golfer of the Week. Email nominations to .
Nolan Wishall desperately wanted to share the news of his first hole-in-one with Dad, who was in a group playing three holes ahead on the University of Illinois Orange course in Savoy.
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Only problem: Jason Wishall wasn't picking up.
"I had to call him six times before he answered, and when he finally did, he didn't believe me," Nolan said.
It was Dad's 51st birthday, and Jason figured the excited voice on the other end was pulling a prank. "He thought I was messing with him," said Nolan, who handed the phone to playing partner and best friend Noah Bryant to convince him otherwise.
A 19-year-old sophomore at Iowa State, Nolan didn't play golf at Unity High because the school didn't offer it at the time. He got hooked at age 13 and is improving by the round, "getting to the point where I'm shooting in the mid 80s."
No. 6 was playing 167 yards when Nolan skied his 6-iron toward the elevated green. He assumed "it went long and rolled off" so the foursome went looking for it. Told to check the cup, Nolan "went nuts on the green" when he realized what had happened. "My heart rate was going through the roof."
While the ace doesn't change Nolan's plan of pursuing a career in mechanical engineering, it only spikes his interest in golf.
The eight family and friends — playing a scramble as part of Dad's birthday bash — celebrated in the clubhouse afterward even though he was too young to spring for a traditional round of drinks. "Luckily for my wallet," Noah said.