The nightmare 17th hole already claimed one Australian victim on the first day of action at the 151st Open Championship, with Lucas Herbert suffering a crushing triple bogey.
It was particularly cruel given Herbert held a share of the lead before he faced the controversial new 136-yard hole.
Fellow Australian Travis Smyth wasn’t under the same pressure as Herbert when he came to the infamous hole, three over for the round and 10 over for the tournament.
Watch over 100 hours of live coverage during the 2023 Open Championship on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
17th takes Aussie victim, triple bogey! | 00:37
That, however, didn’t make what he achieved any less impressive as Smyth stunned the golf world to enter the history books by becoming the first player to ace the new hole.
What made the shot even more incredible was the fact Smyth had made a double bogey on the same hole the day before.
“It was amazing, a little bittersweet actually,” Smyth said.
“I had a shocker the day before, made double-bogey and I was just really happy I hit a good shot because I was just so disappointed from the day before.
“It was a huge surprise went in the hole. It was just the perfect distance, the wind and the club and it all came together. It was a moment I’ll never forget.
“About halfway through the flight I thought ‘this is going to be good’. It looked amazing.”