THE FRONT ROW WITH JASON ELLIOTT: He's an ace already — and he's only 6

Some golfers dream of that elusive ace.

And, eventually, it happens.

James Harrington doesn’t just dream of doing it, he studies it from his chair next to his grandfather’s television, watching hours upon hours of the game.

So on May 1 at The Highlands Golf Course in Post Falls, when James Harrington notched his first hole-in-one, it wasn’t much of a shock to him or his grandfather, Pat.

Here’s the twist; James is a recent graduate — of kindergarten — at Genesis Prep Academy in Post Falls.

He's 6 years old.

THE FEAT came with a driver on the 97-yard, 17th hole.

“I was surprised,” said James, who started playing around age 2. “I actually didn’t tell any of my friends at school that I’d hit a hole-in-one.”

As Pat explains, the ace was bound to happen sooner than later for James, who shot 56 for 9 holes a few weeks ago.

“As soon as he hit it, I knew it was in,” Pat Harrington said. “Neither of us were really jumping up and down. There was a guy playing right behind us. I told James ‘let’s wait for him so he can come up and witness that you knocked it into the hole.’ James’ knowledge of the game is amazing. He’s been watching The Golf Channel since he was a little guy. He knows the game so well, that even the night before, he was asking what happens if I get a hole-in-one. He knows birdies, eagles and all the talk, if you’re in the rough, the fringe and all that.”

Even though he’s just starting out in the sport, James is just like any other golfer on the course.

“He lost his first ball in the water in a juniors tournament the other night (June 10),” Pat Harrington said. “Three holes later, he’s still talking about that and I just laughed and told him he’s no different than any other guy out here because it was his favorite ball and you lost it in the water and you can’t get it off your mind.”

And while some kids watch cartoons or other TV shows, James has been into golf from an early age.

“He’s got a chair that he’d sit in as a baby and he’d watch the pros putt,” Pat Harrington said. “He walked down to the TV and watched the ball go into the hole. I’ve never had to say to him, ‘Hey James, let’s go golfing.’ He’s got me out here every Saturday morning at 7 a.m., we’re chipping and putting. He golfed 18 holes when he was 4 years old.”

JAMES AND PAT have traveled to a few events to see his favorite player, Justin Thomas.

“I enjoy watching them chip the ball in,” James Harrington said. “My favorite player is Justin Thomas because he plays really good.”

“James has been to the Tournament of Champions in Maui,” Pat Harrington said. “Justin Thomas’ dad gave him a ball in 2019, and he’s had a picture taken with Patrick Reed. It’s just his first year with the First Tee program, and you’re supposed to be 7 years old, and he’ll be that at the end of the year. Next year, we’ll start traveling a little more and working on chipping. James just loves the game of golf.”

Maybe more so, it’s just quality time with each other.

“I really enjoy it a lot,” James Harrington said. “It’s a lot of fun.”

“I’m not that good of a golfer,” Pat Harrington said. “I get out with him, and to me, it’s such a difficult sport. But he’s getting to the point where he’s going to start thinking about his swings a lot more. Right now, he just gets up there and hits the ball.”

Sometimes it’s good.

Other times, it’s just great.

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for The Press. He can be reached by telephone at (208) 664-8176, Ext. 2020. Follow him on Twitter @JECdAPress.