The milestones arrived on consecutive days during his 21st birthday vacation, beneath the scorching summer sun on two separate Las Vegas golf courses, where Connor Carrick first shot the only sub-80 round of his life and then, also for the first time ever, beat his father. The temperature topped 110 degrees both mornings, creating a sweaty backdrop for the dramatics. At Royal Links Golf Course, the Washington Capitals defenseman eagled a par-5 from 55 feet to shoot 79. The next day, on the 18th hole at Bali Hai, Carrick put his approach shot into the sand. Luckily for him – and for the purposes of familial gloating – his father plunked one into the water.
Poised to challenge for an NHL spot, Connor Carrick tries to ‘carry that edge’
