Sepp Straka made a memory for a lifetime on Monday at Augusta National with a hole-in-one on the iconic par 3 12th hole at the Masters venue.
The 12th, known as Golden Bell, is one of the most famous golf holes in the world, with the beautiful par 3 playing over the iconic Rae's Creek in the heart of Amen Corner.
The Austrian's iron shot landed just over the front bunker, hopped up and then rolled into the cup to the delight of the watching crowds.
Watch Sepp Straka's hole-in-one:
Sepp Straka made a hole-in-one on the 12th at Augusta today in a practice round for #themasters pic.twitter.com/s7mIgBXZyDApril 3, 2023
"It was unbelievable," he said, "We had 155. The pin was tucked just over the bunker. Been coming up short all day, the ball wasn't going anywhere, so just hit a little 8 and just landed it perfect on the fringe just short and trickled in. It was amazing.
"I don't think I can top that hole-in-one. That'll be a memory I'll keep forever, and yeah, just really pumped about it."
Holes-in-one are very rare at the 12th, with only three 1's recorded on Golden Bell in Masters history. Claude Harmon made the first ever ace on the 12th at the 1947 Masters, the year before he slipped on the Green Jacket, with amateur William Hyndman making the second hole-in-one on the 12th some 12 years later in 1959.
The most recent hole-in-one at the 12th during a Masters came 35 years ago at the 1988 Masters, made by Curtis Strange. Straka's 1 will not go down in history, of course, with it being made in a practice round, but it could signal good things to come for the Austrian this week.
Straka plays in his second Masters this week after a T30 in his Augusta debut last year. The 2022 Honda Classic champion currently ranks 33rd in the world and looks a potential for the 2023 Ryder Cup later this year in Rome.
