SI

Si Woo Kim Becomes First Golfer to Hit a Hole in One at 17 at Royal Troon in Open History

Madison Williams

Si Woo Kim celebrates hitting a hole-in-one on Hole 17 at the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon.
Si Woo Kim celebrates hitting a hole-in-one on Hole 17 at the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon. / The Open/Screenshot

Si Woo Kim's name is officially written in the Royal Troon history books.

During Saturday's third round at the course in Scotland, Kim hit an excellent tee shot on the 17th hole. The ball continued to roll on the green, giving him a hole in one that caused for huge celebration.

This hole-out from 238 yards becomes the first time a player has made an ace at Royal Troon at the 17th—the longest par-3 on the course—in the 10 times the course has hosted the British Open. Something that seemed nearly impossible was made to look easy by Kim on Saturday.

The announcers on various broadcasts couldn't believe it when Kim's ball rolled into the hole.

"No you can't, not at 17," the Open's official broadcast stated.

"Look at this," Steve Sands and the NBC crew said. "That was the roar we heard earlier! A hole in one for Si Woo Kim."

Kim finished even for the third round, keeping his total score at 5 over. He's currently tied for 52nd at the Open.

Published |Modified
Madison Williams

MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.

Home/Golf