Anything You Can Do...
Pajaree Anannarukarn and World Cup legend Brandi Chastain hole out for remarkable back-to-back eagles at HGV Tournament of Champions
While the eyes of both the pro and celebrity golf worlds are fixed on Pebble Beach this weekend, the LPGA is serving up their own pro-am hijinks at the Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions.
The competition was stiff on Thursday as Nelly Korda teamed up with Annika Sorenstam and former New York Yankees pitcher Derek Lowe, while Celine Boutier tee’d off alongside NBA icons Ray Allen and JR Smith. But it was the unassuming USA soccer group, featuring Brandi Chastain, Landon Donovan and LPGA pro Pajaree Anannarukarn, that delivered the highlight of the day, when Anannarukam and Chastian both holed out from the 14th fairway for back-to-back eagles. Here’s the proof if you don’t believe us.
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Incredible … and incredibly fitting. Chastain delivered one of the most iconic moments in women’s sports history at the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup, scoring the winning penalty kick in the World Cup Final shootout against China. She tore off her shirt in celebration, helping to put U.S. women’s soccer—and the sports bra industry—on the map. As her eagle chip-in on Thursday proved, she still has plenty of ice water coursing through her veins.
Thanks in part to the back-to-back eagles, Anannarukarn finished her opening round in second place, two strokes off the pace set by leader A Lim Kim. Celebrities change each round at the HGV Tournament of Champions, but if we were Anannarukarn, we’d be begging to run it back with Chastain on Friday.