Sepp Straka brought the excitement on Friday at the U.S. Open.
He showed the full spectrum of what golf can provide during his second round, following up his triple bogey on the 3rd hole with a hole-in-one on the par-3 9th.
Straka’s 194-yard ace marked his first hole-in-one during a PGA Tour round.
His playing partners watched him as he hit the ball, and as soon as they realized it went in the hole, everyone shot their hands up to celebrate. Straka gave high fives all around, as that shot clearly boosted his mood.
The U.S. Open’s social team got a slight dig with the caption as they referenced his triple bogey earlier in the round. That shot on the third was such a tough break for the Austrian.
Straka nailed the flagstick on the fly, and his ball ricocheted into the greenside bunker. He went on to make a mess of things, making a triple bogey after airmailing his third shot from the sand over the green. So what looked like a birdie opportunity from the fairway quickly turned into a disaster.
Nevertheless, the golfing gods at Pinehurst No. 2 blessed Straka with an ace, a Shakespearean redemption story of sorts. From recording a seven to a one on the scorecard, it does not get any wilder than that.
Straka became the third player to make a hole-in-one on the 9th hole at No. 2. He joins Zach Johnson, who made one in 2014 during the final round, and Peter Jacobson, who did so in 2005 during the third round.
Straka’s ace vaulted him back up to 2-over for the championship, which is inside the cutline at this point. But that hole-in-one helped him immensely after his tough break at the 3rd threatened his chances of making the weekend.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.