Alex Smalley added his name to the list of those who have made holes-in-one this week on the par-3 17th at TPC Sawgrass with one of his own in the final round of the 2023 Players Championship. The Duke product is the third player to make an ace on the island green — a new tournament record — joining Hayden Buckey from Round 1 and Aaron Rai from Round 3.
With the pin tucked in its traditional Sunday hole location, Smalley’s shot from 145 yards is arguably the most impressive of the bunch. Without a ridge to spin his golf ball off and needing to carry the pot bunker protecting the front right of the green, Smalley’s strike required pinpoint accuracy and left little room for error.
After taking a big first bounce, the ball performed a disappearing act when it found the bottom of the cup.
The shot came at an ideal time for Smalley as he was reeling after having just made a double bogey on the accessible par-5 16th. Getting those two shots back immediately with one swing of the golf club, the 26-year-old returned to even par for the championship.
Smalley’s hole-in-one is the first on 17 in the final round of the Players Championship since Freddie Couples in 1997. It is also the 13th on 17 in championship history and the seventh in the last seven years. From 2003-16, there were no aces on the 17th, a drought that has since turned into a deluge.