Matthieu Pavon, Sam Burns ace same short par-3 at U.S. Open

Matthieu Pavon of France was the first player to take full advantage of the short par-3 15th hole at this year’s U.S. Open.

Sam Burns made sure Pavon wouldn’t be the last.

Pavon and Burns each made a hole-in-one on the 15th hole at the Los Angeles Country Club on Thursday during a low-scoring opening round of the 123rd U.S. Open.

It was just the third time in the past 40 years that two holes-in-one occurred on the same hole in the same round of the U.S. Open. It also occurred in 1989 at Oak Hill and 2020 at Winged Foot.

The 15th hole played 124 yards on Thursday, and the USGA has the ability to shorten it to a mere 78 yards later this week. The hole was a topic of discussion entering the week, with three bunkers curled around a highly sloped green making it more difficult than its length would let on.

However, Thursday’s pin location toward the center of the green had little protection. Pavon and Burns, who don’t have much in common, made their aces in the same way.

Pavon, a DP World Tour player ranked No. 173 in the world, played in the morning wave and landed his tee shot several feet past the pin but applied just enough backspin for it to come back to the cup and drop.

“That was just a perfect number,” Pavon said. “Because it was a full gap (wedge), I had nothing to change, just a normal one. Not a three-quarter, not a punch, whatever, it was just a perfect number. With my caddie we agreed that we need to pitch like one or two yards left. And the ball went straight where I wanted.”

Burns, a five-time PGA Tour winner ranked 15th in the world, went out in the afternoon and bounced his tee shot just a few feet past the pin before it, too, spun back and found the hole.

Burns flipped his sand wedge high into the air in celebration after the first hole-in-one of his professional career.

Pavon finished with a 1-over 71, while Burns carded a 1-under 69.

The field was on track to shoot the lowest first-round scoring average in U.S. Open history, in the range of 71.5. Earlier in the day, Rickie Fowler and Xander Schauffele each posted 8-under 62 to become the first players to shoot lower than 63 in the championship’s history.

–Field Level Media