Hole in one when it matters

[mason55]

Jim Furyk's victory today via an ace made me wonder this.

Has anyone ever hit one when it REALLY mattered? Like 2 shots back going into a par 3 18th and nailing it? Or maybe going into 18 on Sunday tied and acing it?

And by "has" I mean I'd like some stories or links or whatever. Most of the time when you hear about aces it's from some guy who's like 22 strokes back on the front 9 on thursday.

[jtg51]

Very few courses end with par 3's. Congressional does sometimes and, of course, there's also Pine Valley in Southington, CT. There probably aren't many more. At least not that host professional tournaments.

[TurdFerguson]

FYI, 18th holes on most courses are either par 4 or par 5. In my experience it is very rare for the 18th to be a par 3, which would probably explain why your scenario likely hasn't happened in a major event.

[mason55]

ok ok, how about on 17? or really just any cool story about someone hitting a hole-in-one to take a lead or tie late on sunday.

[jtg51]

Also, I'm pretty sure Paul Casey won a Ryder Cup match with a hole in one last year, but it wasn't on 18.

[JaredL]

Mason,

Not quite what you're after, but I found this interesting.

Hole in one insurance. Makes sense if you think about it but I hadn't. So your local course reduces variance for their promotion by buying insurance.

here's a USA Today article that has some interesting stuff.

[.Alex.]

How about just an eagle on a par 4 18th to win then?

[mason55]

haha good stuff jared. i knew they were pretty much all luck, which is kind of what interested me. like i said you hear about 75 year old grandma and guys who are barely holding on to their tour cards making them but it just seems like you never hear

"mickelson aced 17 today to help him come from 4 back with two to go and force a playoff"

[jtg51]

[ QUOTE ]
How about just an eagle on a par 4 18th to win then?

[/ QUOTE ]

Craig Parry holed out his second shot on a par 4 in a playoff to win at Doral a few years ago.

[tuq]

mason,

In PGA play it's definitely unusual. Indeed, the aces you see are typically from guys who have no chance to win.

For that reason, David Toms' ace in round three of the 2001 PGA was super weird. He was in or around the lead, the hole was long and hard (think it was the 17th hole) and he banged it in. I can't remember another tour ace happening at such a critical time. And of course he went on to beat Phil the next day by a single shot.