Huge cheers could be heard in the background of the broadcast of the British Open 2024. However, the reason for the fans’ ecstasy was not clear at first. It took a few minutes before the officials found the trigger and the scene was shown on TV. The image panned to the 17th tee of the Royal Troon GC, where Si Wo Kim was getting ready to tee off, and it quickly became clear that a hole-in-one must have been the reason for the so-called “Open Roar” that went through the crowd.
Si Wo Kim With the First Ace of The Open Championship 2024
And so it was. Like many other players that day, the South Korean took advantage of the favorable conditions and let his tee shot on the 217-meter par-3 hole come up just short of the green. After a forward bounce, it quickly became apparent that the ball was rolling perfectly towards the hole. The appreciative applause grew louder by the second as the ball approached its target. Just as Kim had almost turned around, the ball finally fell into the hole and the applause turned into cheers. The ace also did Kim good on the leaderboard. Thanks to the two strokes gained, the South Korean jumped back to even par for the day shortly before the end of the round and thus avoided losing places on the leaderboard.
Footage of the Hole-in-One
An ace on the 17th for Si Woo Kim. pic.twitter.com/tPg2PKTm1x
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 20, 2024