Xander Schauffele holed out from 205 metres on the PGA Tour on Monday (AEDT), carding a rare albatross with what is sure to be one of the greatest shots of the year.
The American started the final round of The American Express in California a whopping eight shots back, but fired himself into shock contention with the three-under-par score at the par-five fifth.
Schauffele found the fairway with his tee shot, and then rifled his second over the water, landing on the short-side of the green and rolling into the cup, leaving commentators stunned.
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“A foot shorter, that is drinking with the fish,” one commentator said about the bold risk, while the other added: “What a golf shot.”
Schauffele had made par at his first four holes, but the albatross sparked what went on to be a 10-under 62 in the final round.
The score moved him into a tie for third, with Jon Rahm and Davis Thompson vying for the win.
Rahm went on to claim the AUD$2 million top prize, finishing on 27-under, one ahead of Davis Thompson, and two ahead of Schauffele and Chris Kirk.
It’s Rahm’s second win in two starts having also claimed the Sentry Tournament of Champions earlier this month.
Meanwhile, Australia’s Jason Day made an impressive return to competition having not played since mid-December at the QBA Shootout.
He fired 20-under for the tournament, including five-under in the final round, to sneak inside the top 20.
It’s a promising sign for Day heading into 2023 having suffered repeated set-backs in recent years due to injury and swing changes.
Caddy on hand to save Hughes from water | 00:44
