Rory McIlroy got his Masters week off to a great start on Monday. He arrived to the par-3 16th hole at 2 up in his match against Scot Chris Wood. Nearly dormie, McIlroy decided to end the match by making a hole-in-one from 170 yards.
“That roar was large considering it was a practice round and I don’t think I’ve ever heard a roar that large in a practice round,” he said, according to Golf By Tour Miss.
He added, “So it was sensational way to end the match."
Wood still had a chance to continue the match with an ace of his own, but that was a big ask.
“I suppose it wasn’t quite game over but when the crowd are chanting 'Rory, Rory,' and you’ve got to try and hit a 7-iron to that flag there’s not much chance," Wood said.
Despite losing the match, Wood was pretty amazed by the atmosphere.
"I’ve never quite heard a noise like it, it was pretty mad," he said. "It was great fun. It was a cool moment."