Inside Sam Ryder’s epic ace on WM Phoenix Open’s 16th hole

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Kelly Ryder knows there are no guarantees when it comes to souvenirs. RELATED: Leaderboard | The top 5 aces at TPC Scottsdale’s 16th Her son, Sam, once made an albatross at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, saved the ball, and forgot it in his courtesy car. He once played with NBA star Stephan Curry in a Korn Ferry Tour event in Northern California, and afterward they swapped signed balls. She has that one in her study back home in Orlando. Now she and her husband, Art, will be getting another souvenir after Sam became the first player to make a hole-in-one at the WM Phoenix Open’s 16th hole since Francesco Molinari in 2015. The ball flew 124 yards and spun hard left before disappearing into the cup, triggering a meteor shower of beer, beer cups, and anything else that would fly. “Still kind of coming down off the adrenaline,” Ryder said, “but, yeah, it was pretty crazy.” As 16th hole moments go, this one recalled Tiger’s ace in 1997 and the late Jarrod Lyle’s in 2011. Here’s how it all went down: Ryder didn’t have the honor; playing partner Chris Kirk had just eagled 15 and went first. Ryder and his caddie, David Pelekoudas, sized up the short shot and were in immediate agreement. “It just ended up being a perfect 54-degree wedge,” Ryder said. “Everything always plays a little shorter in there, adrenaline or whatever it is, it’s just, it always plays shorter. And it just, I just told (Pelekoudas), ‘It’s just got to be that, doesn’t it?’ And he’s like, ‘That’s all I ever thought.’” The shot came off perfectly, and as Brian Harman, the third member of the group, said later, it looked like a hole-in-one the entire way before disappearing and triggering pandemonium. What made it even more special was Ryder’s parents were inside the ropes with him, walking through the tunnel and watching from inside the cauldron of 16 as the ball went in. Ryder raised his arms and went in for a collision/embrace with Pelekoudas, then high-fived Harman and Kirk as their respective caddies and fans screamed, the stands shook, and beer rained down. After that the only question was when play would resume – it would take 15 minutes or so for volunteers and maintenance officials to clear the debris – and what to do with the ball. “We’re definitely getting this one,” Kelly said with a smile. “He knows which one it is.” After Ryder fished his ball out of the cup, and his caddie had cleaned it, he got very deliberate. “I’m like, ‘Let’s just put that one away,’” said Ryder, who had missed five cuts in 10 starts coming into the week and is 129th in the FedExCup. “And we kind of put it in a different pocket, but there was a couple other balls in there; I was like, ‘Woah, woah, woah.’” They kept the ball separate from the others and housed it in its own pocket. “We got the right one,” Ryder said. As golf shots go, it was a cardiac moment – shout out to Ryder’s sister, an ER doc – literally stopping play. But Ryder, whose last hole-in-one in competition came at a long-ago Hooters Tour event, had an up and down day otherwise (even-par 71). He said he’d be trying to figure out “what happened on the other 17 holes,” but won’t soon forget the shot of the tournament. “I’m going to enjoy it,” he said. “I want to make sure I take care of the media center and the maintenance and stuff like that, buy some drinks so that everyone can enjoy that, and they can send me the bill for that. But I’m probably just going to try and rest up and have a good day (Sunday). Probably not the answer that you’re looking for, but I’ll probably have a beverage, try and get ready for tomorrow and hopefully have a good day and finish the tournament strong.” At 6 under par, he’s tied for 29th place.

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