This week, the players on the Nationwide Tour are competing at the Hillcrest Country Club in Boise, Idaho.
On Thursday, three players made a hole-in-one on the same hole in the first round of the event. It was at the 133 yard par 3 17th hole.
The field is seriously competitive as these guys are competing hard to move up the money list and earn a spot in the top 25 for a PGA Tour card. To me, it’s a more compelling tournament to watch than the PGA right now even though the stakes are high over there as well. The scoring conditions at Hillcrest are incredible and players are putting up some pretty low numbers. The cut line yesterday was at 4 under.
Perhaps you’ve heard of Ricky Barnes, the 2002 US Amateur winner. Currently, he is 89th on the money list. In his first two rounds he shot 67-70, putting him at 5 under. Had he birdied instead of aced that hole, he would have just made the cut. Had he made par there instead, he would have missed it. Ricky also blogs about his pursuit of a PGA card as one of the players who keeps a journal over at The Grind.
The same scenario is true for David Hearn, who is 49th on the money list and shot 64-73 to put him at 5 under. Barnes and Hearn are among the 18 players at T42 after Friday’s round.
The third player to make an ace that day needed a few more strokes to make the cut. His hole-in-one contributed to a score of 70 that day, and he followed it up with a 71 yesterday, putting him at 1 under. He may have been disappointed to miss the cut but you’d never know it because he always seems to have a smile on his face. He was invited to the event on a sponsor’s exemption after just turning pro this year at the young age of 16. Need another clue? Youngest player to qualify for the U.S. Open. Still need another? He’s Hawaiian. That’s right. It’s Tadd Fujikawa.
Congratulations to all three players on their aces.
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