David Ogron will golf for Joey Masella

Suzie Harrison

Laguna local David Ogron, 39, as of June 18 holds two Guinness Book

of World Records in golf. He is determined to make it three and be

the only person with that distinction.

On his journey for World Record dominance, Ogron has made a point

to help other people, and has now set his sights on Laguna’s Joey

Masella.

Ogron holds the record for hitting the most golf balls in a

24-hour-period with 10,392. He also holds the 12-hour record, hitting

6,971.

The one-hour record held by Sean Murphy’s 2,146-ball mark has been

in place for nine years, but Ogron said for not much longer. It’s a

record he will try to break on Aug. 27 at the Nike Golf Learning

Center at the Rancho San Joaquin golf course. He tried it earlier

this summer, hitting 2,556 balls during a 60-minute stretch, but 430

did not go the required 100 yards to count toward the record.

While making his first two records, he has been raising money for

the National Children’s Cancer Society and will continue to do so,

but he is also going to try and raise awareness and money for a cure

for someone closer to home.

Joey, 11, has a rare disease called epidermolysis bullosa. It’s a

skin disease that affects the person from head to toe from the inside

out, getting worse with age. It often leads to skin cancer, anemia,

heart failure, infection and a variety of other complications.

“I can raise money by the golf balls I hit,” Ogron said. “People

can make a pledge -- I can raise attention through the media and at

the event.”

Joey’s mother, Laurie Masella, who just met Ogron, appreciates his

efforts to help her son.

“I think it’s wonderful he thought about raising funds for Joey to

find a cure,” Masella said. “He spotted us at Dietrich’s and wanted

to be able to help us. He told us what he was doing and that he was

going to get the word out.”

Ogron is determined about breaking records and raising money.

“I would just like to get him the publicity,” Ogron said. “I want

to get the Laguna people to stand by him. It’s a Guinness record.

They can donate a penny per ball. I’m going to be the only man to

have three Guinness records and I just want support from the town I

grew up in.”

It takes a lot of time for Ogron to prepare for what he is doing,

physically and mentally.

“All the stress and competition-wise, it’s a tough feat to go

through,” Ogron said. “I could injure myself and my hole career is

over -- it’s just like any professional athlete.”

He said that on Aug. 27 people are going to see history being

made.

“To see someone go through an athletic feat like me, they won’t

see it anywhere else unless they go on tour with me,” Ogron said.

Starting in late September, Ogron will be going on a national tour

trying to break the one-hour record on all the PGA, LPGA and

champions tour stops. He will be getting pledges along the way to

raise money for the causes he believes in.

“I will be able to make history,” Ogron said. “I will raise money

for Joey in all 50 states I’m going to. I’ll put up a banner and set

up for donations and campaign for Joey and the National Children’s

Cancer Society along the way as well.”

He said that there are three things in golf that can happen:

that’s skin cancer, heart disease and cancer -- and almost 23 million

children have cancer.

Training harder has been his strategy, and he said he is crazy

enough to keep doing it.

“It’s a great miracle that I’m doing this. Dreams do come true,”

Ogron said. “I’d like to say something to the kids -- don’t give up

on your dreams.”

He has been working hard for the last three years. It has been a

really long road, but it is now finally starting to pay off, he said.

“It’s a total dream for me to be able to do this and go as long

physically,” Ogron said. “There have been over 35,000 to try for this

record. The people that have tried for my 24-hour record have ended

up in the hospital. So it’s really an in-depth record. It’s critical.

Doctors will be there.”

While he is in town, before he heads on tour, he will continue to

train and teach golf lessons locally.

He believes he will break the record this time through his

preparation, determination and new equipment he is using.

“My equipment is vital to me, the clubs that I use,” Ogron said.

“I’ll be using Axis golf clubs, which is the most incredible club

with new bent-shaft technology. It’s really going to help me get this

record.”

The event in which Ogron will try to make history will be at 9

p.m. Aug. 27 at the Nike Golf Learning Center at Rancho San Joaquin

Golf Course, at 1 Sandburg Way in Irvine. To find out more about the

event, or how to donate funds for Joey, call David at 494-3952.