In 66 previous LPGA seasons, there had never been a hole-in-one on a par 4.
On Saturday at the 2016 Kia Classic, Minjee Lee made the second par-4 ace of the season.
Playing the 234-yard par-4 16th at Aviara Golf Club during the third round of the tournament, Lee aced the downhill hole for an albatross that moved her to 3 under par on the round. The tee on the 275-yard hole had been moved up for the third round. Lee used a 5-wood. The ball landed just short of the green, got a friendly bounce left and then stalked its way into the hole after hitting the flagstick.
Lee, who played alongside Morgan Pressel for the third round, said this was the first ace of any kind in her life.
“I didn’t see it go in,” said Lee, according to Golfweek. “(Morgan) was just like ‘Oh!’ and I was like ‘Yay!’”
Two-time 2016 winner Ha Na Jang made the first par-4 hole-in-one in LPGA history -- and, now, this season -- in January at the season-opening Pure Silk Bahamas Classic. In the third round, Jang made an ace on the windy, 218-yard par-4 eighth hole at Ocean Golf Club.
The Aussie Lee wound up shooting 2-under 70 to get to 5-under 211 and trail leader Lydia Ko by nine shots entering the final round.
