The breeze was firm on Wednesday, Willi Sheller remembers. Probably coming in at about a 20 mile-per-hour clip. He had pull-hooked his drive halfway onto an adjacent fairway, one of his first poor tee shots of the afternoon.
Still, with just over 200 yards between him and the 18th green on the sparkling new Sheep Ranch at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, Sheller couldn’t help but soak in the moment. The Olympia, Washington, native was wrapping up his fifth round on the complex, and stood a solid 3-wood away from a crack at eagle. Whether it came to pass or not, Sheller realized he was almost done with his yearly visit to one of his favorite places on the planet.
And why be upset about one errant tee shot? Sheller and his buddies had stalled and maneuvered through rough weather, even witnessing a rare Bandon lightning strike — “the chances of me getting struck by lightning are probably better than getting an albatross,” he later joked — and now he was about to hit his final approach of the trip.
The ball was below his feet, but he had a clear line to the green. He lined up the shot and let it rip.
“I gave it swing and caught it so pure,” he said. “Watching that ball fly was glorious.”
It bounced on the green and Sheller heard it hit the stick, as did one of his buddies.
“Did that … ?” his friend said.
“I think so …” Sheller responded.
Since the final hole at Sheep Ranch, a Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw design, has an elevated green, Sheller had to wait until the foursome got up to the putting surface. When they did, he realized the group was one ball shy.
“Lo and behold, it was in,” he said.
Congrats to Willi Sheller from McMinnville, OR on sinking a double eagle on #SheepRanch No. 18 today, a course first! 211 yards out, 2nd shot with a 3-wood into the wind! #GuestPic pic.twitter.com/zsWfkk5rXV
— Bandon Dunes (@BandonDunesGolf) January 28, 2021
After dancing, jumping and rejoicing, the group got a little bonus tidbit from caddie Jason Warble, who informed them Sheller had just dropped the first albatross in the history of the new course.
“It’s brilliant,” he told Golfweek on Friday, after returning to his home outside Portland, Oregon, where he recently accepted a job at a winery as a cellar master. “I feel like I was so humbled by the course, but I got one of the best rewards you could get. I feel really honored.”
Sheller said he started with the game when his grandmother introduced him at age 5. He played in high school and remembers winning an award for something novel — “I think it was for being the guy most likely to drive it 300 yards and still not make par.” He didn’t play often through college, but has renewed his passion for the game in recent years, playing as many as 100 rounds a year. He plays to an 8.7 handicap and his home course is Michelbook Country Club in McMinnville, just outside Portland.
And what about the pants, the ones that have been all the rage on golf Twitter? He borrowed them from a buddy’s wife after days of traipsing around Bandon Dunes in the cold. They’re women’s ski pants, and Sheller feels no shame, even though his photo has brought numerous hilarious responses, dubbing him “Oregon Man” and other nicknames, all while harassing his choice of clothing.
“Hey, whatever,” he said. “I was the toastiest one in the group.”
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