(Reuters) – Trevor Immelman scored a hole-in-one at the 15th at the Scottish Open on Thursday and could not even boast the first ace of the day at the hole.
FILE PHOTO: Golf – European Tour – Scottish Open – Gullane GC, Gullane, Scotland, Britain – July 14, 2018 South Africa’s Trevor Immelman in action during the third round Action Images via Reuters/Craig Brough
Finland’s Kalle Samooja had already achieved the feat at the 115-yard downhill hole at the Renaissance Club in North Berwick.
But that hardly detracted from Immelman’s excitement as the former Masters champion watched in delight as his ball landed a yard or so beyond the pin and spun back into the hole.
“To be honest I was just trying to get it on the green there,” the South African told Golf Channel.
“I had a nice feel with my swing, playing into a bit of a breeze I was just trying to knock down some kind of a wedge.
“It came out perfect, started spinning up into the breeze, was looking really good.
“Because the tee’s elevated I saw it go in and saw the crowd erupt, so pretty cool moment there for me.”
The ace helped Immelman to a five-under 66 in the first round, while Samooja shot a 64 that left him a shot behind a four-way tie for the lead.
Immelman, 39, is a part-time player these days, working mainly as a television analyst with Golf Channel in the United States.
Samooja is in his first season on the European Tour at the age of 31, and he took his second ace of the year in his stride.
“It’s the same as making an eagle,” he said.
“Two shots off the scorecard and you just need to move on. There’s a lot of golf to play, so just try to forget it as quick as possible.”
Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; Editing by Christian Radnedge