Rory McIlroy is one of the most accomplished players in all of golf, but on Thursday, he did something he has never done in his PGA Tour career: hit a hole-in-one.
Coming off a second place finish at the US Open, the 34-year-old from Northern Island is hoping to gain momentum with The British Open scheduled next month. But this weekend, McIlroy is competing at the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut.
After an average start of 1-over-par through the 7th hole in the first round, McIlroy teed off at the 214-yard 8th hole. The ball landed 15 feet short of the pin but took a friendly roll into the hole for his first career hole-in-one.
He threw his arms in the air in celebration before high-fiving Tom Kim and Viktor Hovland.
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It was a long-awaited achievement for the four-time major champion, as it took him 3,532 attempts before scoring his first hole-in-one, according to the PGA Tour.
The shot put McIlroy at 1-under-par, and he currently sits at 3-under-par through 14 holes in Thursday’s first round.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rory McIlroy makes first career hole-in-one at Travelers Championship