"I don't think we'll be using golf balls again."

I'm not sure if it's a good thing for the game that the BP oil volcano could not be plugged using golf balls as part of the "junk shot" sent into the "top kill."  Matthew Weiner reports and thanks to reader Joel:

BP press officer Sheila Williams told CNN that the balls had been used part of a "junk shot" including shredded tires and knotted rope that were pumped into the well at high pressure to plug the leak. Mud and cement was then injected into the well to keep the junk in place.

Williams revealed that this process was carried out "a number of times" in conjunction with the U.S. coast guard before the oil giant admitted that the experiment had failed.

Golf balls were selected as part of the 'junk shot' because they are small enough to plug gaps between the rope and tires and strong enough to withstand the pressure of the oil which is gushing out with significant force.

Whether Titleist, Callaway or any other make (BP were unable to confirm either the brand or numbers used) golf balls are designed to withstand 2,000 pounds of force from a club making them a good candidate to withstand the high pressure oil leak.

Engineers first used the 'junk shot' to quell the 1991 Kuwait oil fires but never at such depths. The fact that the Deepwater Horizon leak is 5,000 feet below the surface of the ocean is thought to be the reason the technique did not succeed. "I don't think we'll be using golf balls again," commented Williams.