The Loop

Watch a British Open rookie make an eagle by THROWING his golf ball in the hole

July 17, 2019

Imagine this scenario: You're 20 and you're playing in your first British Open. What a time to be alive, right? And by the looks of it, Isidro Benitez is having plenty of fun in Royal Portrush this week.

The young man from Mexico has been posting pictures throughout his first few days in Northern Ireland:

And earlier in the week, the Open's cameras caught Benitez goofing off during a practice round—to an incredible result. Faced with a downhill approach on the par-4 17th hole, Benitez, who earned his way into the field by winning the Argentina Open in Novemeber, picked up his ball and tossed it toward the hole. Incredibly, it went in for a remarkable "eagle." Check it out:

Kid's got some game. And a decent arm.

So did this Open Championship rookie just start a pre-tournament tradition like at the Masters, where players skip shots across the water on the par-3 16th in practice rounds? Only time will tell. But at the very least, he'll walk away from his first Open with a nice highlight—no matter how he plays in the actual tournament.