For professional golfers, the pinnacle of the sport is the Masters. Beneath the gaze of millions of fans, players compete not for the highest score but for the lowest. And because sinking the golf ball in the least amount of shots possible is paramount, for PGA Tour competitors like Stewart Cink, there’s nothing better than a hole in one…unless, of course, it’s scoring a hole in one with your son as your caddie.
After a tough opening round, Stewart Cink was looking for a bit of luck, which he found at the 16th hole of the legendary Augusta National Golf Course. Looking out at the par three, Stewart Cink lined up his club, took a breath, and launched the ball into the air.
With a flawless poker face, the 2009 Open champion then watched as his ball hit the green just yards from the hole. Every onlooker held their breath as the momentum from the shot and the slope of the green carried the ball the remaining distance until it dropped neatly into the 4-inch hole – at which point the crowd exploded with cheers and Stewart Cink’s face finally cracked into a grin.
Got ourselves a good ol’ fashioned Ace at the #TheMasters pic.twitter.com/r7tdb3ABrv
— Outsider (@outsider) April 8, 2022
The impressive shot marked the sixth hole in one in Stewart Cink’s career. However, it was the very first ace at The Masters for the 48-year-old athlete. And to make the moment even sweeter, Cink’s son Reagan, who also happens to be his caddie, immediately ran to his father’s side to celebrate. The two embraced as the crowd absolutely exploded with joy behind them.
A good day to have your son on the bag. #themasters pic.twitter.com/qkOH9EPXHT
— The Masters (@TheMasters) April 8, 2022
What the Hole in One Means for Stewart Cink
Though the 16th hole is the most aced hole in tournament history, the shot from Stewart Cink was still extraordinary. The 16th at Augusta National is a deceptively difficult challenge, but Cink conquered it with ease, moving him to six-over on the week, north of the cut line.
With his sixth hole in one to his name, Stewart Cink now holds a tie for the eighth-most aces in PGA Tour history. And because Stewart Cink has such a lengthy career as a professional golfer behind him, he holds another impressive statistic. The veteran golfer has an ace in four different decades as a professional player, beginning in the 1990s and stretching to the 2020s.
Stewart Cink makes a hole-in-one at the par-3 16th, the 24th ace at No. 16 in tournament history (most recent: Tommy Fleetwood, 2021).
— PGA TOUR Communications (@PGATOURComms) April 8, 2022
With his sixth, Cink is tied for eighth-most holes-in-one on the PGA TOUR since the TOUR began tracking hole-by-hole data in 1983.#theMasters
