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Posted April 7, 2016, 3:57 pm
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Holes-in-one part of Masters drama

Holes-in-one have delivered plenty of memories, roars
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    Holes-in-one part of Masters drama
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    Immelman
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    Holes-in-one part of Masters drama
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    Adam Scott shows off his ball after making a hole in one on the 16th hole during Sunday's final round of the 2012 Masters.
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    Holes-in-one part of Masters drama
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    Adam Scott, left, celebrates with his cadde Steve Williams after making a hole in one on the 16th hole.

The most exciting shot in golf is one that is holed from the fairway or the tee.

While double eagles have been rare at the Masters – only four have been recorded – the tournament has been blessed with an abundance of holes-in-one. Twenty-four have been made in Masters play.

The first ace came in the inaugural Au­gus­ta National Invitation Tournament. In recent years, holes-in-one have been more prevalent as 10 have been made since 2004.

Of Augusta National’s four par-3s, the 16th hole has been aced the most with 15 different players achieving the feat. In 2004, Padraig Harrington and Kirk Triplett made holes-in-one while playing in consecutive groups at the 16th.

A year later, Trevor Immelman made a hole-in-one in the 16th.

“I was in the second-to-last group, so obviously there was a lot of pressure and a lot of people there,” said Immelman, who finished tied for fifth. “For that shot to go in, it was like a dream come true. It’s something I’ll never forget.”

The fourth hole, which now measures up to 240 yards, has been aced only once. Jeff Sluman did it in 1992 at a distance of 213 yards.

“That’s probably the last time I hit that green in regulation,” said Sluman, who made his ace well before the hole was lengthened. “It’s such a difficult golf hole. The wind’s blowing everywhere. You make three there, you’re walking to the next tee happy.”

The sixth hole has been the scene for five holes-in-one during Masters play, and perhaps the one Billy Joe Patton made in 1954 is the most famous in tournament history.

Patton, an amateur, was battling Sam Snead and Ben Hogan when he aced the par-3 sixth hole with a 5-iron.

“Hogan’s gallery was coming up the third fairway, and they came over in droves,” Pat­ton said. “There was more applause to get the ball out of the hole than when it went in.”

Patton wound up third that year, one shot out of the playoff that Snead won over Hogan.

The par-3 12th, one of the most famous holes in golf and the heart of Amen Corner, has yielded three aces in tournament play.

It has also generated the most interesting reactions.

Claude Harmon was the first to make an ace on the 12th during the Masters. But his playing partner, Ben Hogan, didn’t seem to notice the unusual feat. The stoic Hogan had made a birdie of his own at No. 12.

According to Don Wade’s book Talking On Tour, the exchange went like this:

Hogan: “You know Claude, I can’t remember the last time I made a two there. What did you make?”

Harmon: “Why, Ben, I made an ace.”

Hogan: “Oh, well, that’s great, Claude.”

Then there’s Curtis Strange, who made his hole-in-one on the 12th in 1988. After retrieving his ball from the cup, Strange turned and threw it into Rae’s Creek.

No. 16 Redbud
Par 3
170 yards
Hole Page
Hole Gallery
 
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No. 4 Flowering Crabapple
Par 3
240 yards
Hole Page
Hole Gallery
 
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No. 6 Juniper
Par 3
180 yards
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Hole Gallery
 
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No. 12 Golden Bell
Par 3
155 yards
Hole Page
Hole Gallery
 
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A closer look at the 24 holes-in-one during the Masters Tournament
 
Hole No. 4
 
--Jeff Sluman, 1992 (4-iron, 213 yards)
 
Hole No. 6
 
--Leland Gibson, 1954 (4-iron, 190 yards)
 
--Billy Joe Patton*, 1954 (5-iron, 190 yards)
 
--Charles Coody, 1972 (5-iron, 190 yards)
 
--Chris DiMarco, 2004 (5-iron, 198 yards)
 
--Jamie Donaldson, 2013 (7-iron, 177 yards)
 
Hole No. 12
 
--Claude Harmon, 1947 (7-iron, 155 yards)
 
--William Hyndman*, 1959 (6-iron, 155 yards)
 
--Curtis Strange, 1988 (7-iron, 155 yards)
 
Hole No. 16
 
--Ross Somerville*, 1934 (mashie niblick, 145 yards)
 
--Willie Goggin, 1935 (spade mashie, 145 yards)
 
--Ray Billows*, 1940 (8-iron, 145 yards)
 
--John Dawson*, 1949 (4-iron, 190 yards)
 
--Clive Clark, 1968 (2-iron, 190 yards)
 
--Corey Pavin, 1992 (8-iron, 140 yards)
 
--Raymond Floyd, 1996 (5-iron, 182 yards)
 
--Padraig Harrington, 2004 (6-iron, 177 yards)
 
--Kirk Triplett, 2004 (6-iron, 177 yards)
 
--Trevor Immelman, 2005 (7-iron, 177 yards)
 
--Ian Poulter, 2008 (8-iron, 169 yards)
 
--Nathan Green, 2010 (6-iron, 176 yards)
 
--Ryan Moore, 2010 (7-iron, 176 yards)
 
--Adam Scott, 2012 (7-iron, 202 yards)
 
--Bo Van Pelt, 2012 (6-iron, 202 yards)
 
*-Amateur
 

 

 

On This Date:

1935

Gene Sarazen won the tournament’s first playoff, a 36-hole affair against Craig Wood.
 
 
1951
 
Ben Hogan shot a bogey-free 68 to win his first Masters.
 
 
1956
 
Jack Burke Jr. rallied from a record eight shots back to nip amateur Ken Venturi by one shot.
 
 
1990
 
Nick Faldo defeated Raymond Floyd on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff to become just the second golfer to win back-to-back Masters.
 
 
2001
 
Tiger Woods won his fourth consecutive major title with a final-round 68.
 
 
2007
 
Zach Johnson shot 69 in blustery conditions to win. His 1-over-par 289 total matched the highest in tournament history.
 
 
2012
 
Bubba Watson defeated Louis Oosthuizen in a sudden-death playoff with an improbable shot from the trees right of the 10th fairway. Oosthuizen recorded a double eagle on the par-5 second hole, using a 4-iron from 253 yards.
 
 
Course Changes
 
In October 1990, a flood of epic proportions hit Augusta. Water from Rae’s Creek hit Amen Corner particularly hard, destroying the entire 11th green and the members’ tee at the 13th hole. The green and the front bunker at the 12th hole also were damaged.

The Hogan and Nelson bridges spanning Rae’s Creek weren’t damaged, but the Byron Nelson plaque at the 13th tee was torn from its footings.

The club repaired the damage and had the course playable by Thanksgiving Day, about six weeks after the flood.

Augusta National took measures to do its best to mitigate future flooding. In 1999, the 11th green was raised two feet and the pond guarding the green was raised a foot. Rae’s Creek was widened that year behind the green, and a dam now controls the water and is covered by a wooden structure.