Ranking the Top Five Holes-in-One of All Time
Have you ever scored a hole-in-one on the golf course? If you have, you know there’s no other feeling quite like it – especially if you happened to hole out on a Par 4. Or maybe, just maybe, you’re one of the five people on record (as of this writing) to have scored the rare “condor” with an ace on a Par 5.
If you haven’t joined the club yet, there’s no better day than today, September 16. That’s because the first officially recorded hole-in-one was scored on this day back in 1869 by Young Tom Morris at the Open Championship. To celebrate, and in anticipation of some heavy golf betting action here at Bodog Sportsbook for next week’s Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow, here’s our list of the top five holes-in-one of all time, presented in chronological order.
Young Tom Morris (Prestwick Golf Club, 1869)
Long before young prodigies like Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy hit the scene, there was Tommy Morris. He was the son of St Andrews greenskeeper Old Tom Morris, who won four of the first eight Open Championships; the younger Morris claimed his first Open in 1868 at the tender age of 17, still the record for the youngest ever golfer to win a PGA major.
Details for this feat are scarce, which is understandable considering it was 1869 – and not 1868 as many had believed, until historians set the record straight. We know Morris aced Hole No. 8, also known as the “Station” hole, which would have been somewhere around 166 yards from the tee. Prestwick, which you can still play in South Ayrshire, Scotland, was a 12-hole links course at this time. And when Morris won the 1869 Open, his prize was the Challenge Belt – the famous Claret Jug wouldn’t be introduced until 1873.
Tiger Woods (1997, TPC Scottsdale)
Of all the golf shots Woods has taken in his life, the ace he scored at the 1997 Phoenix Open might be the most memorable. It was a beautiful Saturday at TPC Scottsdale, with a large and appreciative crowd on hand at Hole No. 16, a par-3, 163-yard hole affectionately known as the Colosseum – with seating for up to 20,000 fans.
There have been 11 holes-in-one at the Colosseum since the Phoenix Open was first held there in 1987, but none as memorable as Woods’. He took out his trusty 9-iron and uncoiled a beautiful arcing shot that bounced twice before going in. The crowd went absolutely ballistic, jumping up and down and throwing cups (and bottles) of beer in the air. Woods finished the day with a 67 and ended the tournament tied for 18th, 17 strokes behind the runaway winner, Steve Jones, but this ace and the unbelievable reaction is what golf fans remember today.
Mike Crean (2002, Green Valley Ranch Club)
Some things have to be seen to be believed – but in this case, we’ll accept the sworn affidavits of Crean’s playing partners, as the US Golf Register has. Crean was on the No. 9 hole at the Green Valley Ranch Club in Denver, a par-5, 517-yard beast. According to their account, Crean drove the ball onto the green, and when they made the long trek to see where it landed, they found it in the cup.
Crean’s feat makes this the longest recorded hole-in-one in the history of golf, and as mentioned earlier, one of only five condors (aka double albatross, or triple eagle) in the books. No doubt the Mile High air in Denver helped Crean reach the hole – think Bob Beamon at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. But until someone does 517 yards or better, Crean stands alone above them all.
Fuzzy Zoeller (2006, Glen Oaks Country Club)
Some holes-in-one are things of beauty, and some just leave you scratching your head. This ace falls into the latter category. Zoeller was playing the 2006 Allianz Championship, a Champions League event now known as the Principal Charity Classic. Glen Oaks in West Des Moines, Iowa was the location, and Zoeller was at the par-3, 173-yard 16th hole. It wasn’t the best round of golf for Zoeller, and it looked like he would have to chip from the edge of the deep rough after his tee shot sailed past the pin.
That’s when the magic happened. After sitting on the fringe for what seemed like an eternity, the ball starting moving slowly downhill through the remaining rough, picked up speed on the green, and landed directly in the cup. Isaac Newton would have been proud – even if it was Gil Morgan who went on to win the tournament.
Laurent Hurtubise (2020, La Quinta Country Club)
Since Bodog Sportsbook is your No. 1 source for Canada golf odds, it’s only fitting that we wrap things up with one of the truly great stories from the Great White North. Laurent Hurtubise is an amateur golfer and a proud grandfather from just outside of Montreal, and he was already an inspiration to golf fans for playing PGA events despite being born with just one arm.
Hurtubise’s legend grew in 2020 when he took his 6-iron and aced the par-3, 151-yard No. 4 hole at the 2020 American Express. His playing partner, three-time PGA Tour winner Troy Merritt, said it best after Hurtubise collected high-fives from everyone around: “That was the coolest experience I’ve had on the golf course.”
That should inspire you to go out there and score a hole-in-one of your own. Keep in mind: you can enjoy sports betting Canada and score big at Bodog Sportsbook by making the right bets for next week’s Presidents Cup, which begins Thursday, September 22 at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte. Golf odds are also available right now at Bodog for the ongoing Italian Open and the Fortinet Championship, so get those bets in, and don’t forget to replace your divots.