Aaron Baddeley holes out from the tee for miraculous birdie!
Aaron Baddeley makes the birdie of the year at the Valero Texas Open.
Aaron Baddeley has arguably carded the best birdie of 2015 at the par-4 17th hole at TPC San Antonio during the opening round of the Valero Texas Open.
A wild opening tee shot saw his ball soar off left into the trees. Forced to take an unplayable penalty, Baddeley reloaded from the tee, Baddeley again tried to hit the green and this time was far more successful.
“I was thinking of gripping a 3‑wood or hit a cut driver, and I don’t know, I went with the cut driver, I hit a pulled draw in the middle of the trees,” Baddeley said after the round.
“And then just teed it up, next one, I hit this one straight. And so I hit it, started walking and the crowd started going nuts. Wait. I just made birdie.”
Baddeley finished the day at 4-under par, just a shot behind leader Charley Hoffman on a day most other golfers would rather forget.
Conditions were extremely difficult with strong winds blowing golf balls to all parts of the golf course. Geoff Ogilvy was one to struggle, carding a 10-over par 82.
Dudley Hart’s putt on the 18th hole was a classic example of the windy conditions golfers faced during round one. Hart’s ball rested in place at the top of the ridge for some time before rolling back to the bottom tier of the green.