Tosti, Death Hole-in-One... Plunges into the Pond

A Lucky Ace at the Infamous 17th Hole of TPC Sawgrass
Tosti Jumps into the Pond After Hole-in-One
"It Would Have Been Better If It Happened Tomorrow," He Smiles

Alejandro Tosti (Argentina) made a hole-in-one at the 'Death Hole.'

Alejandro Tosti

On the 12th (local time), at the TPC Sawgrass (par 72) in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, USA, during the practice round of the PGA Tour's fifth major tournament, The Players Championship, he made a tee shot into the hole. After making a hole-in-one at the notorious 17th hole (par 3), which has swallowed countless players' balls, he was so overjoyed that he jumped into the pond. In 1982, Jerry Pate (USA) once jumped into the 17th hole pond as a victory celebration, but Tosti is the first player to jump into the water after making a hole-in-one.

Tosti hit the ball from a distance of 133 yards with a 52-degree wedge, and when the ball disappeared into the hole, he jumped up and down on the tee box and then ran to the pond and jumped into the water. He went up to the green, took out the ball that had gone into the hole, and continued the practice round. Tosti's hole-in-one occurred during the practice round, so it is not included in the official records.

Tosti is a second-year player this year. During the Korn Ferry (second-tier) Tour, he was known for eccentric behaviors such as picking coconut fruits and drinking the sap during rounds and driving a small car loaded with large checks, so this incident is not surprising. He smiled and said, "It would have been better if the hole-in-one had come tomorrow (when the first round takes place) rather than today."

The 17th hole green at the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course, where The Players Championship is held, is an island green surrounded by a pond. Many players get frustrated as their tee shots fall into the water here during the tournament. On average, 49.56 balls fall into the water each tournament. Last year, Byeong-Hun An experienced a nightmare moment, scoring 11 strokes after dropping his ball into the water three times from the drop zone following his tee shot. There have only been 14 hole-in-ones so far.