Golf phenom, 11, makes hole-in-one in front of Tiger Woods who responds in priceless way
Making a hole-in-one on any given par-three is a distinctly remote possibility, but doing it in front of Tiger Woods is nothing short of a farfetched fantasy, right? Well, not for 11-year-old Holden Bautista.
Making a hole-in-one at any time is one of sports’ greatest joys, but there is perhaps no better time than doing it in front of Tiger Woods. That is exactly what 11-year-old Holden Bautista did at the weekend, and the legendary 15-time major champion showed a touch of class in his response.
Bautista was playing in the TGR Jr Invitational at Pebble Beach in California on Sunday. The tournament is held annually by Woods’ charitable foundation, with 60 of the best junior golfers in the country getting the chance to test their skills on The Hay and The Links courses at one of the most revered golf complexes on the planet.
Just taking part in the event was a great achievement for all of the players, but Bautista made it an experience beyond his wildest dreams by scoring an ace on The Hay course with Woods watching on in the gallery. What makes it more remarkable is that it was not Bautista’s first hole-in-one of the day, with the youngster finding the bottom of the cup with a tee shot earlier in the day.
The odds of making a one hole-in-one are 12,500 to one, but the chances of making two in the same round are approximately a ridiculous 67 million to one, underlining the scale of Bautista’s achievement. After the celebrations subsided, Bautista was introduced to Woods, who shook his hand and said “I’m proud of you”. And in true Woods fashion, he imparted a bit of his winner’s mentality, adding: “Let’s keep it going, hey”.
