THE ACE AT 12: A ‘CRAZY EXPERIENCE’ FOR CHASE KOEPKA
GRANGE, Australia – Chase Koepka stepped up to his tee shot on Sunday at The Watering Hole – the par-3 12th that has been the scene of the biggest party at this week’s LIV Golf Adelaide – hoping to hear a song from the Australian hip-hop band Hilltop Hoods.
He had requested a change from his initial walk-up selection in order to honor the sold-out crowds attending this week’s event at The Grange Golf Club. But there wasn’t enough time to make the switch.
“I told my caddie, ‘Damn, they didn’t play my song,” the Smash GC member said.
Never mind. A few moments later, Koepka swung his 9-iron – and created an even better experience for the packed fans surrounding the hole.
His ball found the green, then rolled into the cup for the second ace in LIV Golf’s history and the sixth in Koepka’s career. None of the previous five elicited the kind of response as Sunday’s did, with fans showering the players with beer in celebration.
“I was just trying to hit kind of like a trap draw 9-iron, something that we've just been working on all week, just trying to make sure I drew it,” Koepka said. “I hit it, and I knew it was good. I kind of thought if anything it was going to be a little deep, and I saw it kind of pitch in the up slope and take a soft bounce, and I was like, ‘Oh, it'll be close,’ and then the roars just kept getting louder and louder and louder. …
“I smelled like beer the whole entire rest of the day. Yeah, it was wild. Crazy experience. I mean, obviously to do it on a hole like that was super-special. It definitely gave the fans something to remember.”
His playing partners, Paul Casey of Crushers GC and Ian Poulter of Majesticks GC, were just as excited. They each chest-bumped Chase, enjoying the scene and celebration.
For Casey, it was reminiscent of the time in 1997 when Tiger Woods aced the 16th hole at the Phoenix Open, prompting fans to shower the tee box with cups. Casey was at the hole that day but not playing; he was working as a member of ESPN radio.
“It was my first month or two actually in Arizona,” Casey said. “Before any grandstands. That was just the mounds. That was a scene. This one probably louder because it's more intimate, this one.
“But I'm not comparing or doesn't matter which one is -- but it's lovely. It's just very cool to be in that kind of atmosphere.
“To me this has been such a successful week anyway. Everybody here in Adelaide has had just the best time. They're so starved of world-class golf. I think this is the best field they've ever had assembled in Australia outside of maybe a Presidents Cup or something like that. They've embraced it.
“For Chase to give them the hole-in-one, I think was just fantastic.”
As for Koepka … well, the good wishes extended for the remainder of his round, which turned out to be one of his best on LIV – a six-under 66 for a three-day total of 10 under.
“The next couple hours I was out there, I was just getting ovation after ovation every time I walked up to every shot, every tee box,” Koepka said. “It was pretty cool. That's probably what Cam Smith felt like the entire week, but at least I got a glimpse of it.”