That’s one 4 iron, three hops off the water, a few more over the bridge and on the green, then a gorgeous, counterclockwise sweep into the mug. It wasn’t even the first hole in one round this week for Ram, who used 5 irons in the fourth hole on Monday to drain those ace.
“The craziest thing.” Ram, the second player in the world, said, “A hole in one of the week.” “It could go in two directions, right? Something special happens, or my luck is really running out. So I don’t know. I knew it was going to be a special week since it was my birthday today, so I hope it’s the start of a lot of good things to come. ”
Ram turned 26 on Tuesday, and his tremendous skill and some good luck combined to give him the perfect present. Now he hopes to win a green jacket in what will be the Spaniard’s first win in a major tournament.
Ram scored the top 10 results in each of these two precedents for the Masters, including fourth in 2018. He finished third at the 2019 US Open and tied for fourth at the 2018 PGA Championship. He’s tasted a win at five PGA Tour events, including two this year, and six more on the European Tour since 2017.
As with many golfers, Ram sees the Masters in a different light than other tournaments and is keen to continue his country’s success in Augusta.
“There is a Spanish history of champions here, with three great heroes and three idols of mine,” Ram said before the training tour on Tuesday. “Five green jackets are coming out to Spain. I hope I’m the sixth.”
Ram added that he “feels very confident” about his chances this week, and after seeing that shot on the 16th, who can blame him?
However, Vijay Singh finished a 30th draw at the 2009 Masters and Martin Kaymer tied for 44th in 2012 after both exhausted their shots at the pool in 16th.
It is one of the many professors’ traditions encouraging competitors, during their training rounds, by the masses in that hole to “skip it!” Usually, players hit a normal shot and then walk to the front of the pool, taking out another ball and seeing that it could hit that ball low but leave it high and dry.
It is unclear if any other professional golfer other than Ram, Singh and Kaimer have managed to punch holes in one in the pool shots.
There might not be a hole in one of 7 Louis Oosthuizen’s irons at 2016 Masters. The shot fell well into the 16th green and started to move left towards the cup, but there was one big problem. The ball was hit moments earlier by J.B. Holmes and ended near the hole and was sitting on the road.
The South African ball looked at Holmes’ ball and headed to the right before nearly correcting the magic path.
Oosthuizen, the 2010 British Open winner who finished second at the 2012 Masters (you might remember the amazing albatross in the 5-second hole that year), placed the 19 th world ranking at this year’s Masters tournament. The 38-year-old finished third in the most recent US Championship in September.
Ram is one of only four golfers to win a PGA event in each of the past four seasons, joining Justin Thomas, Bryson Deschamps and Dustin Johnson. “I hope something special happens this weekend,” Ram said Tuesday while explaining that playing in Augusta always provides an unparalleled feeling.
He said, “I always feel the same way I did the first time when I got down on Magnolia Lane.” “Every day – yesterday, today, tomorrow and every day of the week – I still carry those butterflies in my stomach, because it’s a special place for golfers.”
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