PGA Championship 2026: Kristoffer Reitan robbed of first par-4 hole-in-one in major history by flagstick
A fortnight ago, Kristoffer Reitan was not a name known to most casual golf fans. After a win at Quail Hollow last week and what we just witnessed on the par-4 13th hole at Aronimink on Saturday, however, the 28-year-old Norwegian is becoming a household name in record time. Take it away, Kris (can we call you Kris?).
Unbelievable stuff. The only thing that stood between the Truist Championship winner and golf immortality was the width of the flagstick on the 293-yard par-4. Them’s the breaks when you play this game, but there’s not a soul among us, including Reitan, who wouldn’t have loved to see this find the bottom of the cup.
Not only would the ace have been an all-time PGA Championship highlight, it would have stood as a piece of golf history as well. There has only been one par-4 hole-in-one on the PGA Tour, when Andrew McGee sent the green on 332-yard 17th hole at 2001 Waste Management Phoenix Open. McGee didn’t think he had the power to drive the putting surface, where the group ahead was still finishing up, but he was proven gloriously wrong as his drive caromed off Tom Byrum’s putter and into the cup. Reitan’s near ace would have been just the second of its kind on the PGA Tour and the first ever in major championship history.
If McGee’s ace came with a big asterisk, Reitan’s surely would have garnered a few raised eyebrows after the PGA of America moved the 13th tee up 105-yards on Saturday. Mercifully we won’t have to debate that, but for the highlight and history alone, it would have been worth it.
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