Shawn Stefani aces hole 17 at Merion
For days, it's been speculated that when the 2013 U.S. Open would feature its first hole-in-one. Who would it be? On which hole? Will it even happen?
The way Merion has been chewing up golfers and spitting them into the sand traps, the likelihood was plummeting. But today, Shawn Stefani broke the pattern on 17.
UPDATE: Video
"We're in Philly," Stefani said after kissing the ground. "There's some great fans up here and I know they can be tough on you and they can love you forever. So I'm sure they appreciated me going to the ground and kissing it, because obviously the ground is where the kick started and the ball kicking right and going on the green."
It's been a little while since Stefani's last ace. "I was 13 years old," he said. "Goose Creek Country Club where I grew up playing golf on No. 16."
18 years, it seems, is long enough to forget celebration protocol. "I didn't know what to do but jump up and down for joy," Stefani admitted.
And for the continuous loop fans:
Philly.com has complete coverage of the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club.
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE OF THE U.S. OPEN AT MERION.