Si Woo Kim did the impossible at The Open Championship on Saturday, as his hole-in-one was the first of its kind.
Si Woo Kim made magic on Saturday morning at The Open Championship.
He made an impressive hole-in-one on the 238-yard par-3 17th at Royal Troon. The PGA Tour veteran became the first player to make an ace on 17 in the 10 Opens held at this course.
“My caddie told me you’d better hit hard with a 3-iron,” Kim said after his round on Saturday.
“So I did, and as soon as I made contact, I saw the ball over the fringe. [I thought it] must be maybe inside 20 feet. I [picked my tee] off the ground and [turned my] back, and people were yelling at me. I didn’t realize the ball went in.”
An ace on the 17th for Si Woo Kim. pic.twitter.com/tPg2PKTm1x
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 20, 2024
What’s funny is that Kim did not realize it went into the hole until the loud cheer came. Once he discovered it went in, he gave a big fist pump and high-fived his caddie.
“It was amazing. I had plenty of holes-in-one in my life. Maybe over ten times, at tournaments like six to eight times, but I think this is the most memorable hole-in-one.”
It marked his fifth career hole-in-one on the PGA Tour, but he had never made one in a major before.
“It’s a major and The Open, and I was having a hard time on the front nine,” Kim said after his first hole-in-one during a major championship.
Despite his ace, Kim has struggled throughout this tournament. He carded an even par round on Saturday, recording four birdies, six bogeys, and an ace.
The Koren sits at 5-over with 18 left to play.
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 @golf_girl_sl.
