Carlos Ortiz had hit the green in regulation on the par-3 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale just 12 out of 21 times at the WM Phoenix Open prior to stepping to the tee on Sunday. No doubt he will always remember the swing that made it 13 out of 22.
For the second straight day, the crowd surrounding the Stadium hole was given the chance to go berserk as Ortiz’s tee shot hit the green, rolled toward the cup and dropped in on the left side for a hole-in-one from 178 yards.
Recall on Saturday, Sam Ryder made the first ace on the hole in the tournament since Francesco Molinari did it in 2015. With Ortiz making it two in two days, it was the first time that there have been two aces made on the hole in one week since 1997 when Tiger Woods did it in the third round and Steve Stricker followed up in the final round.
Ortiz is the 11th player to make a hole-in-one at 16 since the tournament started to be played at TPC Scottsdale in 1987.
According to PGA Tour Communications, there have been 2,863 tee shots between Molinari’s ace and Ryder’s. There were just 33 between Ryder’s and Ortiz’s.
Ortiz started on 10th tee for his final round, and after his fireworks on the 16th hole, he was four under on the round. Two swings later he was six under through eight holes after hitting the green off the tee on the drivable par 4, and then rolling in a nearly 13-footer for a second straight eagle. In the process, Ortiz became the first player to make back-to-back eagles during the 2021-22 PGA Tour season.