Early on Thursday morning, the US Open got underway with many big names starting their campaigns for a potential Major championship. With the likes of Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler and Justin Thomas getting underway, attention was soon on Matthieu Pavon, with the Frenchman making an ace at the par 3 15th!
Playing in his third US Open, it was a stunning ace to behold, with Pavon's ball pitching past the pin and spinning back into the centre of the cup for the first ace in the tournament since Will Zalatoris' at Winged Foot GC in 2020.
💥 ACE ON 15 💥@matthieupavon #USOpen pic.twitter.com/A3LrX0OGrGJune 15, 2023
Obviously, with this being a Major, you would have thought the 30-year-old's reaction would be quite animated but, you would be wrong, with Pavon raising his arms aloft before high-fiving his playing partners in quite a muted fashion.
Either way, it was a stunning shot at the short par 3 15th, with the ace moving the Frenchman from two-over-par to Level as his round began to come to a close. What's more, after a number of close calls at the hole, it was seemingly bound to happen at some point today.
A lot has been made of the par 3s coming into the week of the US Open at Los Angeles Country Club, particularly the seventh and 11th which, if they play their full distance in tournament play, would be the third and fourth longest holes in the tournament's history.
Along with the lengthy par 3s there is also the 15th hole itself, which could become the shortest par 3 in US Open history if the flag is at the front. On the opening day, it is playing at around 125-yards but, if the front pin is in play, it could play as short as 78-yards!
With plenty of drama still ahead of us in LA, will we see more aces? Well, time will tell but, in Pavon's case, he can put himself in the history books, with the Frenchman making the 49th hole-in-one in the tournament's history.
