Patrick Reed hit the rarest shot in golf on a big-time stage — but he wasn’t impressed.
At the U.S. Open held at Oakmont Country Club on Thursday, the former Masters champion achieved an albatross on the 622-yard, par-5 fourth hole. He skillfully sent his second shot from 286 yards straight into the hole using a 3-wood.
This incredible feat marked only the fourth albatross recorded in the history of the U.S. Open over the past 42 years. Despite its rarity, Reed maintained his composure following the shot.
“There’s 71 other holes we have to play,” Reed said after his round. “One hole doesn’t mean jack, to be honest with you.”
When a reporter replied, “To our readers, it actually means a little…” Reed cut them off, saying: “It was a 3-wood I hit from 287, and it went in.”
Despite his historic shot, Reed may have been irked after going on to shoot a 3-over 73 in the opening round, including a triple bogey on the 18th.
The Athletic’s Gabby Herzig did note that Reed “got a lot happier” over the rest of what was an eight-minute post-round interview.
After the ball landed in the hole, Reed raised his arms in disbelief and pointed to confirm if the shot was indeed successful, since his position on the course prevented him from seeing the green directly.
Once he realized what had happened, he gave an incredulous smile as if to say: “I’ll take it.”
Reed, 34, joins T.C. Chen (1985 at Oakland Hills), Shaun Micheel (2010 at Pebble Beach) and Nick Watney (2012 at Olympic) as the only golfers to hit a recorded albatross at the U.S. Open.
There are only a few hundred albatrosses per year globally, compared to more than 30,000 holes-in-one each year.
After his round, Reed noted that this was the third albatross of his career.
