OAKMONT, Pa. — France’s Victor Perez only carded the second recorded ace at the US Open at the Oakmont Country Club on par 3 6th hole in Friday’s second round.
From 192 yards, Perez hit a seven-iron from the tee. His ball bouncing back three times before chasing about three feet into the cup. He raised his arms and then put his caddy, James Elkenbeck, in his chest, before high-five his playing partners Jacob Bridgeman and Adam Schenk.
Scott Simpson aces on hole 16 in the first US round at Oakmont in 1983.
“Obviously, hole-in-ones require a bit of luck,” Perez said after the round. “To be honest, I was just 15-20 feet past the hole and was about to hit something. Maybe I spun a little more and bounced back. I was a little lucky.
Perez told reporters he believes it is the ninth ace of his career, and is third this month. He made two on his home course in the Bahamas, but he was playing alone and no one saw them.
“They didn’t believe me at home because I was playing with them,” Perez said. “They probably know now.”
Perez, who played college golf in New Mexico, needed an ace to return to one or more. He started the day with that score, but made a triple bogey on his third hole on par 5 12th. He pushed the drive into the fairway bunker and needed four shots to reach the green, putting three times into eight.
Perez rebounded with a back-to-back birdie on No. 16 and No. 17, and made a bogey on No. 18 for a turn in 2 overs and 37.
He finished one after 36 holes.
Ranked 99th in the world, Perez has never opened a cut in the US. He missed the weekend with his fifth consecutive start in the majors this week.