On August 15, eight-year member Tim Deutsch, who calls both Braemar and Hazeltine home, made a hole-in-one on Hazeltine’s fourth hole– something neither Tiger Woods nor Jack Nicklaus was able to do during their illustrious careers.
Nicklaus competed at Hazeltine three times, in the 1970 and 1991 US Opens and the 2002 PGA; Tiger twice, at the 2002 and 2009 PGAs. But neither of them was able to ace number 4.
Playing at 143 yards on the day in question, the hole may have been a bit shorter than what it measured in 1970, 1991, 2002 or 2009. But there was nothing short of perfection in Tim’s solid nine-iron shot finding the bottom of the cup. Not surprisingly, there isn’t a record of what that ace wound up costing Tim at the 19th hole, but there are certain things that money simply can’t measure. According to unofficial sources this was Tim’s second all-time hole-in-one.
An understandingly enthusiastic Tim is pictured below (and take note of one small detail as an aside: pictured on the flag itself is the silhouette of Les Bolstad, who played at Hazeltine as an honorary member– and actually walked the course—well into his nineties).
Congrats, Tim! Eat your hearts out, Jack and Tiger.
Dick Helde
Editor, The 19th Hole
helde.richard@gmail.com
612-306-3590