‘This is real, what have I done?’ – former Hong Kong rugby player Adam Rolston pushed to the brink during 2,000km golf odyssey across Mongolia
The 28-year-old, with the help of friend and caddie Ron Rutland, braves sleet, snow and extreme heat to play more than 20,000 strokes during 80-day odyssey
Pushed to the brink by the harsh Mongolian climate and the sheer enormity of the task at hand, former Hong Kong rugby player Adam Rolston has defied logic to golf himself into the Guinness Book of World Records.
Rolston, whose friend Ron Rutland acted as caddie, covered 2,000km from the base camp of Khuiten Peak – the highest and most western point in Mongolia – to Saturday’s finish at the 18th hole of the Mt Bogd Golf & Country Club in Ulan Bator.
The epic odyssey took 80 days and more than 20,000 strokes, with the pair so far raising US$20,000 for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation after deciding to go on an adventure in the name of charity but also to push themselves out of their comfort zones.
“It’s the country without fences and it’s probably the last frontier,” Rolston said before setting out on what they named The Longest Hole.
While it was all smiles at the finish line, there were times in the early stages where Rolston thought he had bitten off more than he could chew, with the mountainous terrain and atrocious weather restricting him to mainly chip shots for the first four days.