Hayden Buckley Double-Bogeyed On Hole 16 At The 3M Open...And Then Sunk A Glorious Ace On Hole 17

Don’t be deceived: golf can be an incredibly frustrating game.

I myself have only ever played 18 holes of real golf in my life, and I was terrible at it (but if we’re counting mini golf, well, I’m basically Scottie Scheffler). During those 18 holes, I think I hit a drive on the fairway a grand total of 5 times, and I had a miserable time trying to get the ball into the hole.

But it can also give you moments of unparalleled joy - emphasis on can (not that I’ve experienced any of those). Hayden Buckley experienced all the feels in the late stages of Round 2 at the 3M tournament in Blaine, MN.

Fort Worth, Tex. - Hayden Buckley lines up his shot on the eleventh hole during the third round of the Charles Schwab Challenge golf tournament on May 25, 2024. Photo: Andrew Dieb-USA TODAY Sports

On a Friday afternoon, Buckley needed everything to go his way. He was on the 16th hole, still outside the cut line, and facing a par-4. He had to hit a shot out of the right rough, but disaster struck when his next shot hit a marker, which caused the ball to carom into the pond. He would end the hole with a double-bogey, which put him well outside the cut line.

"Ironically, my caddie asked me if that red stake was in the way and I said there's no chance it's in the way, it was a good 10 feet left of my ball," Buckley said. "I think it kind of came out low and left and hit the stake. At that point I was like, all right, I think I'm ready to book a flight out of here," 

Talk about a massive buzz kill. Can it get more frustrating than that?

So his afternoon was basically over, as it would have taken a miracle to make the cut six strokes over with just two holes left. But he gave it his best shot - literally - and proceeded to sink a gorgeous ace on the par-3 17th.

Are you kidding me?! That’s an uncanny turn of events. 

Unfortunately, it would ultimately not prevent Buckley from missing the cut. Furthermore, it marked the second time in his career when he recorded an ace and still failed to make it to the last stages of the tournament.

"Obviously Sawgrass I had the hole-in-one there as well and missed the cut," he said. "I need to figure out this hole-in-one and make cut thing."

I mean, I’d be stoked to just figure out the hole-in-one part. But I guess if you’re a pro looking to make money off this, making the cut would certainly help too.