OAKMONT, Pa. – Oakmont Country Club doesn’t give up much, especially holes-in-one.
Victor Perez just joined an incredibly exclusive club on Friday, becoming only the second player in U.S. Open history at Oakmont to record an ace. The Frenchman holed a perfect 7-iron from 192 yards at the par-3 sixth hole, launching him right into contention at 1 over par.
What makes this so rare? Before Perez’s shot, only Scott Simpson had managed the feat at Oakmont during a U.S. Open, acing the par-3 16th hole in the first round back in 1983. That’s just two holes-in-one across ten U.S. Opens at this notoriously difficult track.
The celebration was almost as good as the shot. Perez and his caddie marked the moment with an epic chest bump that perfectly captured the excitement.
The ace came at a crucial time for Perez, who had earlier tripled the par-5 12th hole to fall to 4 over. Talk about a rollercoaster round – through 15 holes of his second round, he’d recorded a 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 8 on his scorecard.
