"Mimi Rhodes left astonished by extraordinary play, comparing it to a scene straight out of Happy Gilmore"
English Star Charley Hull Makes History with Unusual Hole-in-One at Women's Open
In an extraordinary turn of events at the 2023 Women's Open, Charley Hull, a fellow English star, made history with a rare hole-in-one that left commentators stunned and social media buzzing.
The hole-in-one occurred during Mimi Rhodes' final round on Sunday, on the par-three fifth hole at Royal Porthcawl in Wales. Rhodes, who was left in disbelief on the tee box, covered her mouth in shock as her ball deflected off Steph Kyriacou's ball and into the hole.
Rhodes' ball initially appeared to be rolling past the hole, but it deflected in off Kyriacou's ball, much like the scene in the Happy Gilmore films where the character Gilmore hits a tee shot into the group ahead of him on the green, with his ball nudging that of Tony Finau into the hole.
Charley Hull, who made her first-ever appearance at the Women's Open this year, moved up to second place after her surge, with Miyu Yamashita's lead being reduced to two shots. Hull, who already has three wins on the European Tour despite only turning professional last year, had four birdies in her final round.
Despite her impressive performance, Hull is currently not ranked among the top 93 players in the world. However, her unique hole-in-one is sure to boost her profile and bring her closer to the top.
Rhodes celebrated her hole-in-one with her caddie, and social media users couldn't help but compare the event to a scene from the Happy Gilmore films. One user wrote, "Who needs a golf swing like Happy Gilmore when you can get a hole-in-one like this?"
Such occurrences, often referred to as "collisions" or "ricochets" between golf balls, are uncommon because the chances of one ball striking another on the green during tournament play are low, given players’ spacing on greens and the controlled pace. When it does happen, the direction and outcome depend on many factors like the speed and angle of the original ball, spin effects, and the stationary ball’s position.
While the Magnus effect and ball spin can influence ball trajectories, putting and shot precision are focused more on individual ball strike quality rather than ball-to-ball interactions. Therefore, such deflections into the hole off a fellow player’s ball happen very rarely and are generally regarded as an unusual and lucky occurrence rather than a common or frequently observed event in tournament golf.
Regardless of the rarity of the event, it's clear that Charley Hull's hole-in-one will be remembered as one of the most exciting moments of the 2023 Women's Open.
Sports enthusiasts might be astonished to learn that golf, a sport known for its precision, played a surprising role in Charley Hull's historic moment at the 2023 Women's Open. Reminiscent of the scene in the Happy Gilmore films, Hull's ball nudged another on the green, resulting in an unlikely hole-in-one.
