Breven Honda
On Thursday, during the final day of a practice round in the 44th Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club, World No. 4 Viktor Hovland, who is playing on Team Europe, approached the par-4 fifth hole, figuring ways to attack the hole of tomorrow’s first day of competition.
After taking his first shot, he was back at the tee box, looking to find another way to attack the hole.
Why not just go after the hole.
From 302 yards away, Hovland went directly at the cup.
With a 3-wood, Hovland turned a great shot into a perfect shot as the ball landed before the short pin location and rolled into the bottom of the hole.
It brought the entire crowd to cheers, first from those around the green before trickling to the tee box where Hovland was in disbelief as his European Ryder Cup teammates were rejoicing.
Hovland, who won the FedEx Cup four weeks ago to conclude the 2022-23 PGA Tour season, recorded an albatross and threw the ball into the crowd.
The fifth hole this week could be an early difference maker to how these player attack this hole. The weather is going to play role as the heat will effect the firmness of the course. However, the approach to the hole will also play a role in four-ball, foursome or in singles play on Sunday.
It is a risk-reward hole as there is a water hazard left and short of the hole along with a bunker next to the water in front of the green. Those who go after this pin off the tee have the opportunity to get a hole early in the round of a match this week.
The difficulty of a hole-in-one on a par-4
To put in perspective how rare an albatross is, the chances of a PGA Tour player making a hole in one on a par-3 is 3,000 to one.
But on a par-4 to make an albatross, or a double eagle, the chances are about one million to one.
There so many things that must go right in order to make a hole in one on a par-4 from the strength, the right club decision, the bounce and the roll to fall into the bottom of the cup.
Because it is a practice day, Hovland is probably thinking to himself, “Can I save this for the actual competition?”
Related: Ryder Cup Standings and Schedule 2023
Ryder Cup morning pairings
The extraordinary shot came a few hours before tomorrow’s foursomes were announced as Hovland is getting set to team up with Ludvig Aberg as they face Max Homa and Brian Harman in the second match of the morning portion of play.
Also read: Ryder Cup 2023: Everything You Need to Know
