Alex Smalley One-Hop Dunks Ace On 17th Hole, Third Hole-In-One Of The PLAYERS Championship
There is a very fine line between a fantastic shot and a terrible shot on the par-3 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass. No one walked that line better than Alex Smalley on Sunday at The PLAYERS Championship.
Smalley's tee shot could have been disastrous. It hit the green hard and took a big bounce. It seemed poised to take a second big bounce and fly over the green and into the water.
But instead, the ball landed directly in the cup. A one-hop dunk. It was a work of art.
Alex Smalley cards third ace on 17, as the holes-in-one are flying at the PLAYERS Championship
Depending on the sportsbook, the odds of ONE hole-in-one on the 17th hole this week were somewhere around 2, 2.5 or 3-to-1. Essentially, it was more likely that there would be zero holes-in-one than having one.
And yet, there have been three. Not only that, but if you bet on there to be one hole-in-one, you cashed your bet almost immediately. By 9 a.m. Thursday, Hayden Buckley had already cashed that ticket for you.
Nothing crazy happened Friday and no aces were carded on the island green.
But come Saturday, Ace #2 hit the bottom of the cup. Aaron Rai jammed home the second hole-in-the-one on the famous hole.
Multiple aces on 17 is incredibly rare feat
Coming into this week, only 9 aces had ever been made on #17 during the Players Championship since 1991. Coming out of this week, that number has increased by 33% with three more bringing the total to 12.
Never before had two players aced 17 during the same tournament. Yet it happened three times this weekend.
History is truly being made this week at TPC Sawgrass.