Berkeley's "11th Hole-in-One Ever": "There Is No Gate to Hell"

The Players Championship 1R: Record-Breaking Moment at Hole 17

"It is a door of luck."

This is the story of Hayden Buckley (USA). On the 10th (Korean time), at the TPC Sawgrass (par 72, 7,256 yards) in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, USA, during the first round of the PGA Tour’s "fifth major," The Players Championship (total prize money $25 million), he made a hole-in-one on the 17th hole (par 3). Taking a pitching wedge for the 125-yard shot, the ball landed on the green, then slowly rolled down the slope and disappeared into the hole. Buckley celebrated by taking off and throwing his hat.

Hayden Buckley is cheering after making a hole-in-one on the 17th hole of the first round at The Players Championship. [Ponte Vedra Beach, USA = AFP·Yonhap News]

This was the 40th hole-in-one in the history of this tournament and the 35th since it moved to TPC Sawgrass. The hole-in-one on the 17th hole was the 11th in history, following Shane Lowry (Ireland), who recorded one in the third round last year. Buckley experienced the joy of his second personal hole-in-one, having previously made one on the 17th hole in the first round of the 2021 Shriners Children’s Open.

Buckley shot 1-over-par 73, combining the hole-in-one with 4 birdies, 3 bogeys, and 2 double bogeys. He started strong, reducing 5 strokes in the first 11 holes including the hole-in-one, but lost 6 strokes over the remaining 7 holes. Buckley is in his second year since debuting on the regular tour last season. He has yet to win and is ranked 107th in the world. This season, he has entered the top 5 twice, finishing tied for 5th at the Zozo Championship and 2nd at the Sony Open. He is 33rd in the money list ($1,629,364) and 27th in FedEx Cup points (529 points).

The 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass is a nightmare spot for tour players. Although the hole is short, the island green is difficult to attack due to constantly changing wind direction and strength. It is notorious as the "death hole," where PGA Tour players lose more than 50 balls each year. Up to last year, 868 golf balls have been lost in the water. In 2007, a staggering 93 golf balls fell into the water. Bob Tway (USA) famously lost 4 balls in the water during the third round in 2005 and shot 12 strokes over par 9, making him the protagonist of a "historic disaster."