Insane: Unsuspecting Reed lands albatross at US Open
Patrick Reed made the third double-eagle of his career on Thursday - and he's still only seen one of them go in.
Reed raised his hands to the sky, wondering what happened when he unleashed a three-wood from 286 yards in the fairway of the par-5 fourth hole at the US Open.
It was a beauty. The ball bounced three times then rolled towards the hole and into the cup. The so-called albatross is considered the rarest shot in golf, with only a few hundred dropping a year, compared to more than 30,000 holes-in-one.
Reed said the best one he hit came at a tournament in Germany, when he came out in the morning to finish the last four holes after getting rained out the night before. He had two par 5s left and his wife, Justine, was urging him to attack those and get to three under.
He parred the first, then made double eagle to close.
"Two hours later, she was back at home and said, 'Way to finish the par 5s,'" Reed said. "I said, 'Did you actually look at the scorecard?' She said, 'No, I just saw you were at three under.' She clicked on it, and just looked at me. Hey, she told me to get to three under, she didn't tell me how to do it."
The only one Reed saw came at Dominion Country Club in San Antonio when he was a kid. He hit driver off the deck onto the green while the group in front of him was still putting.
"They turned around and looked at me, then they all started jumping because they watched the ball roll right past them and disappear," Reed said. "I didn't know I could get there."
This marks just the fourth albatross at the US Open since the event started keeping such records in 1983. The 2018 Masters champion joins T.C. Chen (1985 at Oakland Hills), Shaun Micheel (2010 at Pebble Beach) and Nick Watney (2012 at Olympic).
Despite the two on No.12, Reed finished at three-over 73 after finishing with triple bogey on No.18.
"I was doing pretty well there until that last hole," Reed said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
31 minutes ago
- Perth Now
New shoes put spring in Zheng's step at Queen's Club
Top seed Zheng Qinwen has beaten home favourite Emma Raducanu 6-2 6-4 to move into the semi-finals at the Queen's Club Championships while 37-year-old veteran Tatjana Maria upset 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina to reach the last four. In an entertaining battle at the Andy Murray Arena on Friday, Olympic champ Zheng showed why she could be a real contender heading into Wimbledon as she marched into her first semi-final on grass. Zheng has won singles titles on clay and hardcourts but she is still adapting to grass, with the 22-year-old showing a marked improvement in her match with Raducanu after she changed her shoes midway through a game when the Briton was serving. "I want to apologise for my shoes. I didn't want to fall two times, but I just don't know how to run on grass," Zheng said sheepishly. "I still don't know when I have to change the grass shoes. I think right now is the time, so it's the new shoes. I feel much better to run. "It was a really difficult match for me, especially because she has got more experience than me on the grass court. I'm just really happy to get into the semi-final for the first time on grass." Germany's Maria, who came through the qualifiers and also knocked out sixth seed Karolina Muchova in the last-16, stunned former Wimbledon champ Rybakina 6-4 7-6 (7-4) to move into a WTA semi-final for the first time in two years. A mother of two whose eldest daughter is 11 and travels with her on tour, Maria is ranked No.86 in the world. "Oh my God, it means so much to me. It's a perfect example to never give up and to always keep going, doesn't matter what, because I'm still here and I'm living this dream," said Maria, a Wimbledon semi-finalist in 2022. "I have my family with me, an amazing team. So much support and so much love, and we are really enjoying the ride together. "I'm super, super proud to be in the semi-final and I hope in a few years you will see my daughter in the same stage here!" Maria will face second seed, Australian Open champ Madison Keys, who battled back from a set down to beat Diana Shnaider 2-6 6-3 6-4.
Perth Now
2 hours ago
- Perth Now
Aussie swimmers try to surface from post-Olympic blues
An unsettled Kaylee McKeown went from a "dark place" mentally to no place of her own. She's living in holiday rentals. Fellow golden girl Mollie O'Callaghan was in a "hole". She's still trying to dig herself out. Struggling Shayna Jack went to the jungle "to find myself". She got home, lost her beloved dog, and isn't over the mental toll. Zac Stubblety-Cook went from Paris and more Olympic glory to questioning if he wanted to keep swimming. "The post-Olympic blues is always something to be mindful of," Stubblety-Cook said in Adelaide at Australia's swim trials for next month's world titles. "I think people underestimate what it is. "We had such a successful Games, especially our female team. "To come off the back of that, of course you're going to feel a bit alone. I think that's just normal." Stubblety-Cook, an Olympic gold and silver medallist, is among a chorus of swimmers in Adelaide detailing the mental lows that followed their highs. And the Dolphins' leadership group member said there was a positive among the negatives. "Everyone is a human and it's nice to see a bit of the human side of the sport," he said. Dolphins teammate Lani Pallister said the human factor was often overlooked, compounding post-Olympic problems. "This is going to sound really brutal but I think sometimes people forget athletes are also people," Pallister said. "There's so much expectation put on Australian swimmers ... we're expected to win multiple gold medals. "And sometimes if you don't race at your best, it's almost the public that bring you down." Even those that race at their best were impacted. McKeown, the only Australian to win four individual Olympic gold medals, took four months off after Paris. "I was in a really dark place mentally," she said. "When you go from such a high, straight back to such a low, and you're left scrambling for ideas on what you're going to do next, it is hard to find your feet once again." After her break, and with her coach Michael Bohl retired, she changed swim clubs and moved to Queensland's Gold Coast from the Sunshine Coast. "I spent four months in a group where I wasn't finding myself really happy," McKeown said. "I made the quick decision a week before nationals (in April) and moved back to Sunny Coast. "I still haven't got a house to live. I'm in Airbnb's. "It has been a really hard transition; just the things that people don't really see when you come and race." O'Callaghan was the nation's most successful athlete in Paris, collecting three golds plus a silver and bronze. Post-Olympics, she took five months, trying to find her identity outside of the pool. The 21-year-old admitted she was still searching but was pragmatic about her problems. "You have to always step in that dark place to get the best out of yourself," O'Callaghan said. "That's what sport is about. It's putting yourself in that hole to see how mentally strong you are - and I've definitely done that this season." Her teammate Jack won two golds in Paris at her first Olympics - she missed the Tokyo Games, having just served a two-year doping ban. Jack, who was cleared of intentional doping, had a European Great Dane named Hugo - he was the sole reason she got out of bed many days while suspended. After Paris, Jack went on the television show I'm A Celebrity ...Get Me Out Of Here. Soon after returning home, she lost Hugo to cancer. "I went to the jungle to try and find myself ... but when I got home and finding out that I was losing my dog, it was a huge mental toll," she said. "He got me through everything to come back in the first place. "I had two weeks with him; there was regret just around whether or not I did everything for him. "I felt a lot of that guilt. Did I do right by him, by choosing my swimming a lot of the time, and choosing my career over my dog?" Lifeline 13 11 14 beyondblue 1300 22 4636
The Advertiser
2 hours ago
- The Advertiser
J Day back in business with fine US Open fightback
Jason Day has battled back into the picture at the US Open with a fine second round while American Sam Burns shot the lowest score of the week to leap into contention at fearsome Oakmont. Former PGA champ Day was way off the pace after his opening round of 76 but demonstrated his enduring class with a battling three-under 67 on Friday to get back to three over for the tournament - hovering around the top-20 and well inside a cut mark projected to be at seven over. Day's round was the second best among the early day-two starters but he was still eclipsed by Burns, who shot a five-under 65, which featured six birdies, one bogey and a key par save at his final hole - the ninth - to record the best round of the tournament. It left him heading to the clubhouse on three under, just one off the overnight lead held by fellow American who was among the later starters after his opening, bogey-free round of 66 on Thursday. Day's round, which began at the 10th hole, was ignited by a terrific eagle at his third hole - the gigantic par-five 12th that measures 647 yards. He struck his approach from 323 yards to 20 foot from the hole and sank the eagle putt. Two birdies quickly followed in the next five holes. His biggest disappointment as he looked set to finish with a 66 after two more birdies on the homeward nine was his wayward drive at the ninth that led to an anti-climactic final bogey. Burns, who shot a final-round 62 Sunday at the Canadian Open before losing in a play-off, also started his second round on the back nine and birdied 11, 13, 17 and 18. He responded to his lone bogey at the first hole by putting his approach at the next hole to about six feet. World No.1 Scottie Scheffler had five bogeys and four birdies in his 71, to be left at four over, but fellow luminaries Dustin Johnson (10 over) and Justin Thomas (12 over) will both miss the weekend. Australian Marc Leishman, who had begun promisingly with a 71, suffered in his second round, shooting a 75, including a double-bogey six at the ninth hole, to sit at six over. Five-time major winner Brooks Koepka, one of 14 LIV Golf players in the field, started his day two shots off the pace but dropped back after a 74 that featured eight bogeys. A day after Patrick Reed recorded the fourth albatross in US Open annals, Frenchman Victor Perez made a hole-in-one at the par-three sixth, the second ever ace during a US Open at Oakmont. But the demanding course was clearly getting to some of the players, with former champion Jon Rahm another left grumbling as he tumbled down the leaderboard after a 75 to sit on four over. "Honestly, I'm too annoyed and too mad right now to think about any perspective," the Spaniard said. "Very few rounds of golf I played in my life where I think I hit good putts and they didn't sniff the hole, so it's frustrating." With agencies Jason Day has battled back into the picture at the US Open with a fine second round while American Sam Burns shot the lowest score of the week to leap into contention at fearsome Oakmont. Former PGA champ Day was way off the pace after his opening round of 76 but demonstrated his enduring class with a battling three-under 67 on Friday to get back to three over for the tournament - hovering around the top-20 and well inside a cut mark projected to be at seven over. Day's round was the second best among the early day-two starters but he was still eclipsed by Burns, who shot a five-under 65, which featured six birdies, one bogey and a key par save at his final hole - the ninth - to record the best round of the tournament. It left him heading to the clubhouse on three under, just one off the overnight lead held by fellow American who was among the later starters after his opening, bogey-free round of 66 on Thursday. Day's round, which began at the 10th hole, was ignited by a terrific eagle at his third hole - the gigantic par-five 12th that measures 647 yards. He struck his approach from 323 yards to 20 foot from the hole and sank the eagle putt. Two birdies quickly followed in the next five holes. His biggest disappointment as he looked set to finish with a 66 after two more birdies on the homeward nine was his wayward drive at the ninth that led to an anti-climactic final bogey. Burns, who shot a final-round 62 Sunday at the Canadian Open before losing in a play-off, also started his second round on the back nine and birdied 11, 13, 17 and 18. He responded to his lone bogey at the first hole by putting his approach at the next hole to about six feet. World No.1 Scottie Scheffler had five bogeys and four birdies in his 71, to be left at four over, but fellow luminaries Dustin Johnson (10 over) and Justin Thomas (12 over) will both miss the weekend. Australian Marc Leishman, who had begun promisingly with a 71, suffered in his second round, shooting a 75, including a double-bogey six at the ninth hole, to sit at six over. Five-time major winner Brooks Koepka, one of 14 LIV Golf players in the field, started his day two shots off the pace but dropped back after a 74 that featured eight bogeys. A day after Patrick Reed recorded the fourth albatross in US Open annals, Frenchman Victor Perez made a hole-in-one at the par-three sixth, the second ever ace during a US Open at Oakmont. But the demanding course was clearly getting to some of the players, with former champion Jon Rahm another left grumbling as he tumbled down the leaderboard after a 75 to sit on four over. "Honestly, I'm too annoyed and too mad right now to think about any perspective," the Spaniard said. "Very few rounds of golf I played in my life where I think I hit good putts and they didn't sniff the hole, so it's frustrating." With agencies Jason Day has battled back into the picture at the US Open with a fine second round while American Sam Burns shot the lowest score of the week to leap into contention at fearsome Oakmont. Former PGA champ Day was way off the pace after his opening round of 76 but demonstrated his enduring class with a battling three-under 67 on Friday to get back to three over for the tournament - hovering around the top-20 and well inside a cut mark projected to be at seven over. Day's round was the second best among the early day-two starters but he was still eclipsed by Burns, who shot a five-under 65, which featured six birdies, one bogey and a key par save at his final hole - the ninth - to record the best round of the tournament. It left him heading to the clubhouse on three under, just one off the overnight lead held by fellow American who was among the later starters after his opening, bogey-free round of 66 on Thursday. Day's round, which began at the 10th hole, was ignited by a terrific eagle at his third hole - the gigantic par-five 12th that measures 647 yards. He struck his approach from 323 yards to 20 foot from the hole and sank the eagle putt. Two birdies quickly followed in the next five holes. His biggest disappointment as he looked set to finish with a 66 after two more birdies on the homeward nine was his wayward drive at the ninth that led to an anti-climactic final bogey. Burns, who shot a final-round 62 Sunday at the Canadian Open before losing in a play-off, also started his second round on the back nine and birdied 11, 13, 17 and 18. He responded to his lone bogey at the first hole by putting his approach at the next hole to about six feet. World No.1 Scottie Scheffler had five bogeys and four birdies in his 71, to be left at four over, but fellow luminaries Dustin Johnson (10 over) and Justin Thomas (12 over) will both miss the weekend. Australian Marc Leishman, who had begun promisingly with a 71, suffered in his second round, shooting a 75, including a double-bogey six at the ninth hole, to sit at six over. Five-time major winner Brooks Koepka, one of 14 LIV Golf players in the field, started his day two shots off the pace but dropped back after a 74 that featured eight bogeys. A day after Patrick Reed recorded the fourth albatross in US Open annals, Frenchman Victor Perez made a hole-in-one at the par-three sixth, the second ever ace during a US Open at Oakmont. But the demanding course was clearly getting to some of the players, with former champion Jon Rahm another left grumbling as he tumbled down the leaderboard after a 75 to sit on four over. "Honestly, I'm too annoyed and too mad right now to think about any perspective," the Spaniard said. "Very few rounds of golf I played in my life where I think I hit good putts and they didn't sniff the hole, so it's frustrating." With agencies Jason Day has battled back into the picture at the US Open with a fine second round while American Sam Burns shot the lowest score of the week to leap into contention at fearsome Oakmont. Former PGA champ Day was way off the pace after his opening round of 76 but demonstrated his enduring class with a battling three-under 67 on Friday to get back to three over for the tournament - hovering around the top-20 and well inside a cut mark projected to be at seven over. Day's round was the second best among the early day-two starters but he was still eclipsed by Burns, who shot a five-under 65, which featured six birdies, one bogey and a key par save at his final hole - the ninth - to record the best round of the tournament. It left him heading to the clubhouse on three under, just one off the overnight lead held by fellow American who was among the later starters after his opening, bogey-free round of 66 on Thursday. Day's round, which began at the 10th hole, was ignited by a terrific eagle at his third hole - the gigantic par-five 12th that measures 647 yards. He struck his approach from 323 yards to 20 foot from the hole and sank the eagle putt. Two birdies quickly followed in the next five holes. His biggest disappointment as he looked set to finish with a 66 after two more birdies on the homeward nine was his wayward drive at the ninth that led to an anti-climactic final bogey. Burns, who shot a final-round 62 Sunday at the Canadian Open before losing in a play-off, also started his second round on the back nine and birdied 11, 13, 17 and 18. He responded to his lone bogey at the first hole by putting his approach at the next hole to about six feet. World No.1 Scottie Scheffler had five bogeys and four birdies in his 71, to be left at four over, but fellow luminaries Dustin Johnson (10 over) and Justin Thomas (12 over) will both miss the weekend. Australian Marc Leishman, who had begun promisingly with a 71, suffered in his second round, shooting a 75, including a double-bogey six at the ninth hole, to sit at six over. Five-time major winner Brooks Koepka, one of 14 LIV Golf players in the field, started his day two shots off the pace but dropped back after a 74 that featured eight bogeys. A day after Patrick Reed recorded the fourth albatross in US Open annals, Frenchman Victor Perez made a hole-in-one at the par-three sixth, the second ever ace during a US Open at Oakmont. But the demanding course was clearly getting to some of the players, with former champion Jon Rahm another left grumbling as he tumbled down the leaderboard after a 75 to sit on four over. "Honestly, I'm too annoyed and too mad right now to think about any perspective," the Spaniard said. "Very few rounds of golf I played in my life where I think I hit good putts and they didn't sniff the hole, so it's frustrating." With agencies
