What’s better than a hole-in-one? A hole-in-one when you desperately needed one.
Chris Paisley arrived at Doha Golf Club yesterday in need of some luck, having failed to make a birdie in his opening round. His wishes came true at the 135-yard 17th-hole when he watched his nine-iron bounce next to the pin and spin into the hole for an ace.
“I was in between a wedge and a nine-iron, and decided to go with a little nine-iron. I just hit it perfectly and when it landed, I said, ‘go in’, and it did, so I’m just delighted,” said Paisley, who also birdied the 18th for a tournament-changing 67.
The 30-year-old is teeing up this season on the back of the best year of his career in 2016 where he made the cut in 15 events, finishing in the top 25 seven times. The ace is Paisley’s first on the European Tour and he joins an elite list of 10 players who have hit the perfect shot in the 20 editions of the Qatar Masters. He is the first to do so on the 17th hole since Warren Bennett 12 years ago.
Paisley won $150,000 for the ace from Qatar Duty Free, the tournament’s Hole-in-One Sponsor, but said he wouldn’t be in control of how to spend it, adding his wife would be deciding how best to put the money to use.
“I don’t think it’s going to be me who is going to spend it. My wife’s here this week, so I think she’ll probably take care of that,” quipped Paisley, whose best finishes on the European Tour are a tie for third at last year’s Italian Open and third at the 2015 BMW International in Germany. “This is my first hole-in-one on the European Tour. I think that’s five in total in my life, but this is definitely the most memorable.”
Paisley had opened with a two-over 74 on Thursday and after a bogey on hole three yesterday morning, he went on to make the turn at three-over and looked likely to miss the cut. However, his fortunes changed on the back nine as he birdied the 10th, 11th and 16th before approaching the short 17th.
“It was a great feeling, but strange, as I went 27 holes this week without making a birdie and was three-over-par, struggling to make the cut. All of a sudden I made a couple of birdies and had a hole-in-one and I was inside the cut mark. I suppose it shows you never give up!”