Long Island golfer is trying to set Guinness World Record for playing most consecutive hours
For most golfers, a round takes a few hours, but one Long Island man is taking that to the extreme.
Kelechi Ezihie, who only started playing golf two years ago after learning the game as a caddy, hit the course at Huntington Crescent Club at 6 p.m. on Sunday with the intention of setting a Guinness World Record by playing nonstop for 24 hours.
However, in the wee hours of Monday morning, he found out his marathon had to get even longer if he wanted his name in the record books.
"This is a test to my energy"
Ezihie's drive goes beyond the green. He works at Life's WORC, a nonprofit serving people with disabilities, and he's raising money -- and awareness -- for his mission to diversify golf.
The 27-year-old Inwood resident showed no signs of fatigue about 19 hours into his odyssey.
He is allowed five-minute breaks each hour, but otherwise must keep walking and swinging.
"I feel great. This is for a good cause, so I feel great," Ezihie said earlier Monday. "This is a test to my energy to see how far I can go."
He was surrounded by friends who kept him laughing through the night as he played under lights and with glow-in-the-dark balls.
"I really showed up thinking I would just play until 10, but the vibes are so good," friend Michaelangelo Garland said.
Why Ezihie is going to have to play longer than he planned
In the middle of play, he found out that the game that planned to be the longest in history had to get even longer if wants to set the record. He said he found out at around 3 a.m. that a British golfer had just played 32 hours straight in Norway.
So now, Ezihie is aiming for 36, which, if he pulls off the feat, would have him finishing around 6 a.m. on Tuesday.
"My friends are here to keep me going. I just think about enjoying myself, enjoy every single swing," he said.
And that means rain or shine, darkness or light.
"A little shower doesn't spoil the dream and the goal," Ezihie said.
Guinness officials will review video evidence to determine if he meets all the criteria for the record.
"We have to make sure he's finishing the rounds in the right amount of time, that he is taking breaks in the allotted time that witnesses are logging," said Shartia Ducksworth, of Golf Insights.
Why Ezihie embarked on this mission in the first place
"People assume that golf is for the wealthy and I'm trying to change that," Ezihie said. "The goal is to let people know that golf is a game for everybody. Whatever your economic background or somebody with special needs, you can play the game of golf."
He has bought land in his native Nigeria to build a golf center.
"I believe Nigeria has a lot of talented kids that aren't able to show their talent," Ezihie said.
Ezihie has a large laugh, a bigger heart, and may be on his way to a spot in the record books.
