CNN
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There’s an age-old question put to the crowds that flock to the 17th hole at The Players Championship: are they there to see players hit brilliant shots or, in unashamed morbid curiosity, there to watch them hit the water?
To spare fans from that moral dilemma on Thursday, Justin Lower did both.
The American pulled off the lesser-spotted “hole-in-three” during the first round of the 51st edition of golf’s unofficial “fifth major” at TPC Sawgrass, splashing his opening tee shot into the iconic lake before sending his follow-up attempt straight into the cup.
Having started from the Stadium Course’s 10th hole, seven straight pars had made for a solid but unremarkable start before Lower sent his tee shot at the par-three 17th sailing clear over the island green and into the drink.
The world No. 88, consequently hit with a one stroke penalty, headed to the drop zone up to the left of the tee box and served up an emphatic response, his 89-yard effort judged to perfection to earn him surely the most peculiar par of his 14-year pro career.
Yet it is not the only one achieved in such a fashion at the Stadium Course’s shortest hole, which measures just 141 yards from tee to cup.
Fellow American Fred Couples provided the blueprint back in 1999. Unperturbed by his first effort coming up short, the two-time Players champion nicknamed, “Boom Boom” for his prowess off the tee, returned to the same position to slam dunk his subsequent shot.
Having aced the hole in the traditional manner two years prior, Couples’ name sits among the 14 golfers to have achieved a hole-in-one at the 17th during competition.
Lower, meanwhile, will have to settle for accomplishing an even rarer feat that helped him card an even-par opening round. The 35-year-old is bidding to make it to the weekend at the tournament for the first time after missing the cut on his previous two outings.
The omens looked good after Argentina’s Ajejandro Tosti and Collin Morikawa’s caddie JJ Jakovac both aced the hole on Wednesday ahead of the tournament, but the waters quickly claimed multiple victims during the first round.
Lanto Griffin became the 1,030th golfer to hit the lake since PGA Tour ShotLink tracking began in 2003 before Lower and 2021 champion Justin Thomas swiftly followed him in.
Even so, it’s a long way to go to match the record wettest year of 2007, when windy conditions contributed to 93 balls plopping in – and 50 in the first round alone.