Golf marathon

GOLD COAST, Australia - After playing 650 holes of golf over 40 hours, Adam Engel didn't expect his marathon charity round to end with a bang: a chip-in birdie from about 45 yards.

Playing off a handicap of two, Engel teed off with a glow-in-the-dark golf ball just after nightfall Tuesday and finished at midday Thursday on the ninth hole at Hope Island, a course designed by five-time British Open champion Peter Thomson.

"I couldn't explain it, I was just speechless," Engel, 25, said of the chip-in. "It couldn't have finished any better."

Engel said he was inspired to take on the challenge to raise money for the Leukemia Foundation after his best friend, Shane Burn, was stricken with the disease. The money donated was sponsored per hole, so he was reluctant to quit early.

Engel took only three shower and meal breaks during the 40-hour period, loading up on caffeine to help fight fatigue. At the end, he had sore wrists and blisters on his hands despite wearing gloves.