Francesco Molinari was 7-over par at the par-4 ninth hole (his 18th hole of the day). The cut was 5-over par. Hole in One To reduce the numbers.
The request was impossible, but Molinari did the incredible: He drilled a 7-iron for an ace and earned his first U.S. Open third-round tee time since 2021.
“From where we were standing, it looked like the ball just went over the bunker and the green was firming up so it was a perfect shot,” Molinari explained after the match.
“Then the ball started going and it almost broke left to right at the hole. We were joking with Sergio Garcia about how the ball looked and what a great line it had all the way, but really, what the odds were. I don’t even know what to say. It’s just unbelievable.”
Molinari shot a two-over 72 and struggled to process what had happened.
“I had a bogey on No. 8. I was hoping I could get par on No. 8, but then I had to get two on No. 9,” Molinari said.
“At that flag, if I hit a good shot I could get in birdie range, but when I dropped my shot on the eighth hole and then when I was standing on the tee on the ninth hole, I just thought I’m gonna make a good swing and see what happens. But the chances are so incredibly slim that I don’t know what to say.”
Molinari has had a number of impressive holes-in-ones.
He aced the 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale one year and also had a hole-in-one during his win at Bay Hill in 2019. Golf Statistician Justin Ray.
But on Friday, he delivered the ace of his life when he needed it most.
“It was our last chance to play on the weekend,” Molinari added.
“That’s golf in a nutshell.”
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow For more golf articles, follow us on Twitter Jack Mirko In the same way.
