Tag: hole-in-one

This teenager aced a 403-yard par 4 during a PGA Tour Monday qualifier

Bet he couldn’t do that again.

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It’s not every day you see golfers making holes-in-one at professional events. Even that’s difficult for the best players in the world.

It’s almost a guarantee you’ll never see them make one on a par 4.

Don’t tell Aldrich Potgieter that.

The teenager from South Africa who recently turned pro aced a par 4 on the 403-yard 17th hole during a Monday qualifier for the PGA Tour’s 2023 John Deere Classic at Pinnacle Country Club in Milan, Illinois. He didn’t see the ball go into the hole and had no idea it was in until his caddie in the fairway ahead of him started freaking out.

In the history of the PGA Tour, there has only been one ace recorded on a par 4: Andrew McGee at the 2001 Phoenix Open.

Potgieter, 18,  was 5 under in his final five holes on the back nine (his first side) and signed for a 6-under 66— but he missed getting into the field by one shot.

He made his professional debut two weeks ago at the Korn Ferry Tour’s Compliance Solutions Championship in Norman, Oklahoma, then played last week at the Rocket Mortgage Classic, where he missed the cut. He also made starts at the Masters and U.S. Open this year, making the cut at Los Angeles Country Club and finishing 64th.

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Watch: Golf influencers Troy Mullins, Tania Tare each make two holes-in-one

The Ace Race show debuted on July 1 and will be televised on Bally Sports through August.

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Not one. Not two. Not three. How about four holes-in-one in one day?

Golf influencers Troy Mullins and Tania Tare did just that, with each making two aces at Indian Wells Golf Resort.

All the fun was captured on video by Breaking Par, an Arizona-based, syndicated golf TV show carried by Bally Sports affiliates across the country.

The series is called “Ace Race with Tania Tare”, a renowned trick-shot artist. Mullins is a long-drive competitor.

On this particular day on the par-3 16th hole, each golfer took aim from 140 yards out for about four hours. The contest ended once paying customers reached the hole.

Mullins was declared the winner after she hit the most balls inside a four-foot circle around the hole. In addition to bragging rights, she won a custom Phat Ride.

“Whether you’re a golfer or not, everyone knows how special a hole-in-one is, so being there to witness four aces is something I’ll never forget,” said Ryan Johnson, executive producer of Breaking Par.

The Ace Race show debuted on July 1 and will be televised on Bally Sports affiliates until Aug. 31, 2023.

Tare has a combined 588,000 followers on Instagram and TikTok; Mullins has more than 250,000 on the two social-media platforms.

Rory McIlroy makes hole-in-one during first round of 2023 Travelers Championship

Hello, Mr. McIlroy!

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Well, hello, Mr. McIlroy!

The Northern Irishman canned a hole-in-one during the first round of the 2023 Travelers Championship on Thursday at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut.

McIlroy opened his round with a par at No. 1, a birdie at No. 2, then played his next five holes 1 over.

But, on the 214-yard par-3 eighth, McIlroy made an ace with a 5-iron to turn his entire day around.

Through seven holes, McIlroy was tied for 137th in Strokes Gained: Putting, so taking the flat stick out of play might have been the right call.

It was McIlroy’s first ace on the PGA Tour.

His playing partners Tom Kim and Viktor Hovland loved it.

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Two rounds, three aces: Matthew Fitzpatrick makes the third hole-in-one of the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club

The defending champion sent fans into a frenzy on Friday with his first career ace as a professional.

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LOS ANGELES — Aces are running wild here at the 2023 U.S. Open.

In the early stages of Friday’s second round, defending champion Matthew Fitzpatrick made the third ace of the week – and the first of his professional career – on the par-3 15th. Fitzpatrick had a delayed reaction to his ace because players can’t see the hole from the tee box, and not many fans can get near the green on No. 15 at Los Angeles Country Club.”

“Yeah, I wish it would have been louder. I wish it was a few more people,” said Fitzpatrick, the defending champion. “But, yeah, I’m surprised there’s not been as many people out as I thought this week.”

The ace is the 51st in U.S. Open and third of the week after both Matthieu Pavon and Sam Burns made holes-in-one on the 15th on Thursday.

“As soon as I hit it I thought that it got a good chance of going close anyway. Dead center,” said Fitzpatrick, who signed for an even-par 70. “My hand was a bit sore afterward, I’ll be honest, after all the high fiving.”

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Sam Burns makes second hole-in-one on No. 15 at 2023 U.S. Open

The ace by Burns is the 50th in U.S. Open history.

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LOS ANGELES — Good things are coming in pairs at the 2023 U.S. Open.

Thursday’s first round at Los Angeles Country Club’s North Course produced two 62s, first by Rickie Fowler and followed soon thereafter by Xander Schauffele.

Deuces were also wild on No. 15, with two holes-in-one on the par-3 hole.

A few hours after Matthieu Pavon aced the par-3 hole, Sam Burns followed suit on the hole playing 124 yards.

Playing alongside Dustin Johnson and Keith Mitchell, Burns had just birdied the 14th hole, his fifth hole of the day, as he started on the back nine. He then stepped up to and made the one of the more memorable shots of his life.

The ace by Burns is the 50th in U.S. Open history.

‘Just a perfect shot’: Matthieu Pavon makes first hole-in-one at 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club

“I just heard the crowd getting more and more loud and then I just, I just knew it was in,” he said.

LOS ANGELES — Talk about a dream start to the U.S. Open.

Playing in his third U.S. Open, Matthieu Pavon made the first hole in one of the 2023 championship during Thursday’s opening round. The 30-year-old from Medoc, France, put a one on the scorecard after he aced the 124-yard, par-3 15th hole.

“So that was just, that was just a perfect number. Because it was a full gap. I had nothing to change, just a normal one. Not a three-quarter, not a punch, whatever, it was just a perfect number,” said Pavon of his ace. “With my caddie we agreed that we need to pitch like one or two yards left. And the ball went straight where I wanted. So after like getting that hole-in-one it’s just like a bit of luck, but that shot like from the strike to the end was just a perfect shot.”

Pavon landed his tee shot a good 10 feet past the hole, then spun his back back towards the pin and into the bottom of the cup. It was a rather muted celebration with some high-fives from playing partners Ryo Ishikawa and Kevin Streelman, given the fact he just made a hole-in-one at a major championship. Why? He couldn’t see it go in.

“No, I reacted to the crowd. The thing is like the hole is just behind the slope so we can’t really see it,” he explained. “I just saw the bounce forward and kind of like seeing it was zipping left-to-right. So I knew it was close, but I just, I just heard the crowd getting more and more loud and then I just, I just knew it was in.”

Pavon made his U.S. Open debut in 2018 with a T-25 finish at Shinnecock Hills. In his last appearance in 2019 at Pebble Beach he missed the cut. Pavon is now the first Frenchman to make a hole-in-one in the U.S. Open.

“I don’t know how many players have got a hole-in-one in a U.S. Open. It’s quite cool to be part of this group of people and it’s my first as a professional,” he added. “So sharing this with the crowd today was just a moment I would never forget.”

Pavon’s ace is the 49th in U.S. Open history and the first since Cameron Young made one last year in the second round at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts.

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Watch: Scottie Scheffler makes ace at 2023 Charles Schwab Challenge

The world No. 1 had a hole to remember on Sunday at Colonial.

Scottie Scheffler didn’t need any help from his struggling putter at the par-3 eighth hole at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas on Sunday.

The world No. 1 made the second hole-in-one of his PGA Tour career in the final round of the 2023 Charles Schwab Championship.

The native Texan’s 7-iron at the 189-yard par-3 bounced twice on the green and made a bee line for the hole. Scheffler lifted his arms to the heavens and celebrated by hugging caddie Ted Scott.

“Just a three-quarter 7-iron. Pretty much the exact same shot I hit there yesterday. Tee box was a little further up, and there was a little bit more wind in our face, so it kind of set up nicely,” Scheffler said. “Yeah, it landed and went in. That was definitely a lot of fun.”

It was the second ace of the week at the hole – Harris English did the same on Friday – and the second ace for Scheffler on the PGA Tour, who made his previous hole-in-one down the road in Dallas during the third round of the 2014 AT&T Byron Nelson. (Scheffler also counts an ace he made during the Par-3 Contest at the Masters in April, saying, “I’m going to count it for myself. I feel like that’s fair at Augusta.”)

The ace lifted Scheffler to 7 under for the tournament and in fourth place despite ranking last among the field of 72 to make the cut in Strokes Gain: putting this week. The ace was a continuation of Scheffler’s ball-striking prowess. He ranks first in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green.

Scheffler lost in a playoff at this event a year earlier to Sam Burns.

Scheffler’s sister, Callie, was on the bag for his previous ace in 2014. When asked who gives a better post-ace hug, his sister or Scott, Scheffler laughed and said, “I’m not going to answer that.”

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Michael Block makes hole-in-one, finishes T-15, joins Golf Channel set, gets invite to Schwab Challenge

It is the 29th ace in the PGA Championship since 1983.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Michael Block’s fairytale week keeps getting better.

The 46-year-old club pro aced the 151-yard par-3 15th hole at Oak Hill on Sunday with a 7-iron. Block, who was playing alongside Rory McIlroy, sent his tee shot into the air at “Plateau,” the shortest hole on the course and dunked it.

“No, no way,” he said as the crowd erupted. “Are you kidding me? I’ll cause that delay anytime.”

Block, who teaches at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo, California, was the only club pro to make the 36-hole cut this week.

McIlroy smiled widely and slapped Block’s hand and gave him a congratulatory bear hug and tap to the belly.

“I’m like, ‘Why is Rory giving me a hug?'” Block said. “Rory is giving me a hug for hitting it 3, 4, 5 feet? That’s weird. I’m like, ‘I think I just made it.'”

It is the 29th ace in the PGA Championship since 1983.

The hole-in-one lifted Block back to even par for the day and the tournament.

2023 PGA Championship
Michael Block celebrates after his hole-in-one on the 15th hole during the final round of the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York. (Photo: Abbie Parr/Associated Press)

Block’s home club had dozens of eyes glued to the CBS telecast and the remote celebration went crazy after the ace.

“To do it on that hole on this stage was a lifelong dream,” Block said. “It can never be better. That’s it. I can retire. Good night.”

Block needed a top-15 finish to secure a return visit to the PGA in 2024 at Valhalla, and that ace certainly help.

But it was a clutch up-and-down par on the closing 18th hole that sealed it for him, as a final-round 71 punched his ticket for next year. Among the PGA Tour elite that Block’s 1-over 281 total beat this week: Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, Jordan Spieth, Hideki Matsuyama, Jon Rahm, Max Homa and Dustin Johnson.

After his round, and after doing a session in the media center, he got a call from the tournament director at the Charles Schwab Challenge, who offered Block the final sponsor exemption. Block accepted the call on speaker phone and he and his wife got emotional with the good news. He also received an invite to the RBC Canadian Open.

Block topped off his day at Oak Hill by joining the set of Golf Channel’s Live From, and chopped it up with Rich Lerner, Brandel Chamblee and Brad Faxon.

For his work on the course, Block earned $288,333.

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Four players aced No. 6 on the same day in 1989 U.S. Open at Oak Hill, but there’s a major reason it won’t happen again at 2023 PGA Championship

Four aces on one day on the same hole was cool, but it certainly won’t happen again this year.

Here’s perhaps the safest bet for this week’s PGA Championship: Four players won’t make holes-in-one on the same day at No. 6 of Oak Hill’s East Course. Sounds like a silly bet, of course, but it happened during the second round of the 1989 U.S. Open on the East.

There’s no way that exact feat will reoccur in this year’s PGA Championship on the same layout, because that hole no longer exists.

In a two-hour span that morning in 1989, Doug Weaver, Mark Wiebe, Jerry Pate and Nick Price each made an ace on the 167-yard par 3. The hole wasn’t exactly in a bowl, but it was pretty close, having been cut into the base of a swale. None of the four holes-in-one flew into the cup, each instead landing left, right or beyond the flag then curling into the cup. Each player used a 7-iron.

An amazing occurrence, for sure. It had never happened before in major championship or PGA Tour golf. Before the round, tournament officials had noted that it was a likely spot for ace, and they ended up with four.

That hole isn’t on the course any longer, thanks to a recent renovation by architect Andrew Green to Donald Ross’s layout in Rochester, New York. That sixth hole from 1989 was created during a 1970s renovation to the course by George Fazio and Tom Fazio. Green ripped it out, instead installing a new par 3 as No. 5. Green’s new No. 6 is a punishing par 4 that plays over and along a creek, earning the name Double Trouble. The hole is listed on the scorecard at 503 yards.

Not that a repeat of what has been dubbed the “Four Aces” – not to be confused with the LIV team of the same name – was likely anyways. The PGA of America reports that the odds of any Tour player making an ace on a given par 3 are 3,000 to 1. The National Hole-in-One Association calculated at the time that the odds of four Tour pros acing the same hole in one day to be 8.7 million to one, although such a friendly hole location that allows balls to break into the cup from multiple directions surely improved those odds a bit.

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Watch: The homeless golfer who Monday qualified into this week’s Korn Ferry Tour event made a hole-in-one

What a week for Michael Sweeney.

What a week it has been for Michael Sweeney.

On Monday, he holed out for eagle from a bunker to earn a spot in a playoff for the Korn Ferry Tour’s HomeTown Lenders Championship on the 18th hole. In the playoff, he advanced with a par on the second hole, earning his first KFT start at The Ledges in Huntsville, Alabama.

A reminder: Sweeney lives out of his car and raps on Spotify. He pinches every penny to try and fight his way to the PGA Tour.

Well, his story gets even better.

Foggy conditions postponed the first round on Thursday, so his first start had to wait an extra day. On Friday, he wasted little time making his mark on the tournament. On his fourth hole, he aced the par-3 13th hole, playing at 230 yards, with his 4-iron.

Here’s hoping he carries that momentum the rest of the week. It moved him to 3 under thru 4 and tied for the lead early in the first round.

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