Arnold Palmer's record: Pleasant Valley golfer Lydon Patascher makes history

Lydon Patascher has accomplished something most athletes can only dream of. He'll forever be associated with one of the best to ever play his sport.

The Pleasant Valley senior golfer did exactly that by shooting 60 at the Allentown Municipal Golf Course, performing one shot better than arguably the greatest golfer of all time: Arnold Palmer, who set the course record in 1963.

Patascher was already 5-under-par after the front nine, then he followed it up with six birdies and an eagle on the back nine, shooting a then career-low 29 to culminate his outing.

"Just being in the same sentence as Mr. Palmer is wild to think about," Patascher said. "You never think of a high school player being mentioned just along with him. So, beating him is just absolutely insane, for sure."

Although this is likely the hallmark of Patascher's career to this point, his major success can be traced back to 2023, where he racked up a number of accolades, including being named to the EPC All-Conference First Team, qualifying for districts for the third straight year, and qualifying for states for the first time.

Patascher finished 58th after shooting 80 in the first round and 78 in the second round, but he still enjoyed the learning experience.

"I look back at it, and there are definitely some strokes I could have picked up on and some that I had missed opportunities. But I wasn't too upset with it, because my main goal was just to make it there," Patascher said. "This upcoming season, I have higher goals for myself, to try to place at states, which would be obviously insane if I did that. But with the way my game is right now, I see no reason why I can't."

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Lydon's father, Dan, is an assistant coach with Pleasant Valley golf, so he's had the opportunity to see the transformation up close. And for Dan, Lydon's state qualifying proved to be a critical step in his development.

"I feel like it unlocked a new level for him," Dan said about Lydon qualifying. "It was like he internally said, 'This is where I should be, now I am here.' And now I feel like the lid is off. It's limitless at this point."

Even with the limitless possibilities, Dan is still amazed that his son has played well enough to be mentioned with Palmer, someone that Dan's grandfather, who wasn't even a golf fan, was enamored by the personality of "The King."

"To think that his great grandson would eventually go off to break you know, a course record of Arnold Palmer is just, it's insane. It's still not real," Dan said.

Breaking Palmer's record also proved to be a catalyst for Lydon's season so far, as he's playing the best golf of his career while Pleasant Valley has won eight straight matches as a team.

"I think after breaking Arnold Palmer's record, that kind of put me into, like, a new mental world," Lydon said. "My last two rounds at Indian Mountain, I shot 5-under and 6-under, something I didn't do at all last year year. I'm averaging 67 so far this year, and it feels like I'm a completely different golfer."

At the level he's playing, Lydon has a legitimate chance to win the EPC and district tournaments, with hopes of finishing in the top 10 at the state tournament. His confidence is "through the roof."

This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Arnold Palmer's record: Pleasant Valley golfer Lydon Patascher makes history