Wednesday 28 September 2016 10:49, UK
Just six men have experienced the thrill of a Ryder Cup ace. We look back at those historical holes-in-one.
Peter Butler - Muirfield 1973
The Englishman holds the distinction of scoring the first-ever hole in one at the Ryder Cup on the 16th hole at Muirfield.
The shot was perfect but Butler was fortunate to get the chance to hit it, as he was only called in to partner Brian Barnes after Bernard Gallacher was taken ill with food poisoning. Despite the ace they lost to Jack Nicklaus and Tom Weiskopf, as Europe were defeated 19-13.
Nick Faldo - The Belfry 1993
Faldo hit the perfect shot at The Belfry in 1993, a six-iron to the 189-yard 14th which carried a greenside bunker and rolled into the hole.
Amazingly, Faldo revealed it came as no surprise. He said: "I told four players earlier that I'm going to hole one this week. I said birdies are not good enough."
The hole-in-one was, at the time, the fifth of Faldo's career although he lost the final hole to halve his singles with Paul Azinger and Europe lost the match 15-13.
Costantino Rocca - Oak Hill 1995
The Italian, who famously beat Tiger Woods in the 1997 singles, scored his ace on the 167-yard sixth at Oak Hill - a superb five-iron which never left the flag and rolled in from 12 feet.
"It was beautiful, sensational," said Rocca after registering the eighth ace of his career. His expression of pure delight was priceless as he jumped into the arms of playing partner Sam Torrance, and the pair went on to thrash Davis Love and Jeff Maggert 6&5 in Saturday's foursomes to help Europe win the match 14½-13½.
Howard Clark - Oak Hill 1995
Rocca's ace was not the only hole in one at Oak Hill that year. The following day Howard Clark holed a 176-yard six-iron on the 11th in his singles win over Peter Jacobsen.
Clark's reaction was curious - he looked up, awkwardly patted his racing heart and wore a look more of relief than delight. Whilst the ball was in mid-air he also reached down for his tee even though he hadn't used one. "It was such a strange reaction I know," said Clark. "But I was pretty scrambled."
Paul Casey - K Club 2006
Casey became the fourth Englishman to register a hole in one in Ryder Cup action when his 213-yard four-iron toppled into the 14th hole at the K Club.
It instantly sealed a "walk-off" 5&4 victory for Casey and David Howell over Stewart Cink and Zach Johnson in the Saturday foursomes - what a time to make his first ever ace in tournament play.
"The shot looked great but I didn't see it go in which was why the reaction was a bit sort of bizarre," said Casey afterwards.
Scott Verplank - K Club 2006
Verplank became the first, and still only American to score a hole in one at the Ryder Cup when, just 24 hours after Casey's ace, he too holed out at the K Club's 14th hole.
It came via a sweetly struck three-iron and helped him secure a convincing 4&3 win over Padraig Harrington in the bottom singles match.
Verplank celebrated with a customary high five but there was a tinge of resignation in there too with the Americans, as he put it, "getting their tails whipped". Europe won the match by a record-equalling nine-point margin.
Will we see another ace at Hazeltine this week?
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