This past weekend I was able to get in several rounds of APBA golf to advance my replay of the 2021 TOUR Championship at East Lake (Peachtree). I’m well into round 2 with the field of 30, and scores have averaged slightly above par (70.37 vs. 70).
One of the more difficult holes has been #15, a 209-yard par 3 with a green surrounded by water in front and to its left and right sides. Even under calm wind and normal course conditions, this hole is averaging 3.22 strokes–third toughest so far. It has ruined its fair share of promising scores in my tournament.
But on Saturday, Louis Oosthuizen took advantage of the back pin position (#4) to hit the tourney’s first hole-in-one. Here’s a fly-by of what hole #15 looks like in real life.
Then on Sunday, Abraham Ancer repeated the performance with an ace on hole #9, a 240-yard par 3. That one was, perhaps, an even more spectacular shot–not just due to the extra distance but because pin #4 sits at the front of the green, wedged between two deep bunkers on either side. Talk about threading the needle!
This hole has been kinder to players, averaging almost exactly par (2.98) after 54 rounds. Here’s a fly-by of hole #9.
With a -4 stroke bonus to start the tournament, Ancer is currently tied for 2nd place at 7 under. Oosthuizen, on the other hand, is tied for 17th at 1 under, despite a -3 stroke bonus and an ace. Patrick Cantlay, who entered with a -10 stroke bonus, is enjoying a 6-stroke lead at 13 under, while he waits to tee off for round 2. I’ll be announcing the winner and posting full details here once everything winds up.