PGA Tour star snaps and tosses equipment before sinking a hole-in-one

Hayden Buckley’s latest PGA Tour event at the 3M Open was a rollercoaster of emotions, marked by both agony and euphoria. The 28-year-old golfer had a round to remember, featuring a blend of brilliance and mishaps that culminated in missing the cut in Minnesota, finishing five over par.

Buckley’s second round was particularly memorable due to two contrasting holes. On the par-three 17th, he achieved his third career hole-in-one, a spectacular feat that brought cheers from the crowd. However, this moment of triumph followed a disastrous sequence on the previous hole.

At the par-four 16th, Buckley experienced a nightmare. His drive went astray to the right, only to be saved from the water by the rough. His recovery shot went awry, striking a red penalty area marker just a few yards in front of him, deflecting into the lake. Frustrated, Buckley reacted by hurling the marker into the ground, eventually scoring a double bogey and dashing his hopes of continuing in the tournament.

Despite this setback, Buckley rebounded on the 178-yard par-three 17th. His spirits lifted as he aced his tee shot, responding to the crowd’s cheers. Reflecting on the incident, Buckley admitted that he had been so disheartened by the double bogey that he didn’t even want to play the 17th. “Ironically, my caddie asked me if that red stake was in the way,” he recounted. “I said there’s no chance it’s in the way, it was a good 10 feet left of my ball. I think it kind of came out low and left and hit the stake. At that point, I was like, all right, I think I’m ready to book a flight out of here.”

Buckley and his caddie had to wait for about 20 minutes on the next tee box, a period he described as torturous given his poor play. Yet, the ace gave him a brief moment of joy amidst the disappointment. “I think weird things happen in this game. It gave me a little bit of something to smile at at least headed home,” he said.

This event marked the second time Buckley has missed a cut on the PGA Tour after scoring a hole-in-one, the first instance being at the Players Championship. Reflecting on the irony, he remarked, “Obviously Sawgrass I had the hole-in-one there as well and missed the cut. I need to figure out this hole-in-one and make cut thing.”

Despite the ups and downs, Buckley’s performance at the 3M Open will be a round he won’t soon forget.