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Rory McIlroy hit an ace on the eighth hole at TPC River Highlands on Thursday. Remarkably, it was the golf superstar’s first hole-in-one on the PGA Tour.
Prior to the tournament, McIlroy had attempted more than 3,200 tee shots on par three holes. A week after his impressive US Open showing, he finally made one.
Of course, he probably would’ve liked to have seen it come last week in Los Angeles as he fell by a single stroke to Wyndham Clark. Still, he’ll take the second-place finish as well as the $2.16 million runner-up consolation prize.
He seems to have kept the strong play going in Connecticut as he looks to climb up the FedEx Cup leaderboard. McIlroy currently sits in sixth place after winning the honor in 2022.
The Northern Ireland native is one of the most accomplished players on the Tour, having ripped off 23 career PGA wins, nine more international victories, a slew of top 10 finishes.
The four-time major champion is currently ranked third in the world according to the OWGR, and he doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.
But one thing that has eluded McIlroy was that evasive first ace. On Thursday, he finally sank it.
ACE FOR RORY!@McIlroyRory holes it from 214 yards @TravelersChamp 🔥 pic.twitter.com/bKUfts2RvU
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) June 22, 2023
Fans and media were stunned to learn that it was his first hole-in-one on the PGA Tour.
Hard to believe that’s Rory’s first ever ace on the @PGATOUR!! https://t.co/9qD7hgECR2
— GOLF TALK CANADA (@GolfTalkCanada) June 22, 2023
Can you believe this is Rory’s first PGA Tour ace 😱 https://t.co/HwgAfZ2jzX
— National Club Golfer (@NCG_com) June 22, 2023
I would not have guessed this was #rory‘s FIRST #ace on tour. Wow. #pga #HoleinOne #mcilroy https://t.co/OE3BehI6UE
— Chris Reilly (@C_Reilly5) June 22, 2023
It only took him 3,253 tries.
On average a Tour pro makes one hole-in-one for every 2,500 par threes they play.
That’s on average.
Rory made his first PGA TOUR ace today, playing his 3,253rd par three.pic.twitter.com/ZR5p4NJGYb
— Jamie Kennedy (@jamierkennedy) June 22, 2023
When you realise that was Rory’s first ace on the @PGATOUR 😯 https://t.co/LYXxnDoIsU pic.twitter.com/FJni3bdBFD
— RORY FANS (@rory_fans) June 22, 2023
The impressive shot came from 214 yards out while using a five-iron.
Reigning FedExCup Champion and World No. 3 Rory McIlroy records a hole-in-one at No. 8 during the first round of the Travelers Championship, using a 5-iron.
First career ace for McIlroy on the PGA TOUR (has played 3,253 par-3’s). https://t.co/rTanlX6d15
— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) June 22, 2023
Through 11 holes, Rory McIlroy sits in a tie for 22nd place at -3. We’ll see if he can capitalize on the hole-in-one and continue his ascent up the leaderboard.