CNN
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With his hole-in-one on the iconic island green at The Players Championship, Alejandro Tosti made a splash before the tournament had even begun – quite literally.
The 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass is famed for delivering moments of drama, and Tosti continued that tradition at this year’s tournament when he shot an ace during his practice round on Wednesday, then celebrated by jumping into the lake.
The Argentine’s tee shot landed about 15 feet beyond the hole before rolling slowly back into the cup, immediately prompting wild celebrations.
Throwing down his club and making a beeline straight for the water, Tosti paused momentarily before taking a plunge. Fortunately, his caddie was on hand to help him on his way with an encouraging push.
“I’ve been telling people that if I make it in the hole on 17, I’m going in the water, so I had to 100% go in the water,” the 28-year-old said later, according to the PGA Tour. “I was so happy and really cool to have that moment today.”
A rookie on the PGA Tour last year, Tosti retained his Tour card with a top-five finish in the final stage of Q-School. He earned a place at The Players – the PGA Tour’s flagship and most lucrative event – via his FedExCup standing of No. 116.
Impressively, Tosti went on to complete his practice round on Wednesday, apparently unfazed by making his way around the 18th hole in drenched clothing.
“I’ve seen so many things. I’ve seen lip-outs, I’ve seen the ball go in the hole and go out of the hole,” he said about his hole-in-one. “I’ve been playing golf for 20 years at the highest level, and today is the first day that the ball goes in. I couldn’t have asked for a better place than the 17th hole at TPC.”
The par-three 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass is the most recognizable feature of the Florida course. Countless golfers have seen their shots either miss or bounce off the island green and into the water, while others have had more luck on the 137-yard hole. In 2023, for instance, three players – Hayden Buckley, Aaron Rai and Alex Smalley – all made holes-in-one on the island green during the tournament.
Tosti wasn’t the only player to ace the 17th on Wednesday. Earlier, JJ Jakovac, who carries the bag for world No. 4 Collin Morikawa, had seen his tee shot roll back into the hole during the tournament’s annual caddie competition.
It marked the first-ever hole-in-one in the caddie competition, and needless to say the moment was celebrated with screams and cheers around the tee. But unlike Tosti after him, Jakovac, perhaps wisely, opted to stay dry on this occasion.