Holing out for albatross on any course is extremely uncommon.
And to do it in a serious instantly writes a golfer into the historical past books.
Certainly, when Gene Sarazen pulled off the feat on the fifteenth gap on the 1935 Masters, it grew to become referred to as “the shot heard all over the world”.
At Oakmont this week, all of the pre-tournament speak was of excessive scoring and double-bogeys.
However on the par-5 4th on Thursday that each one modified: Patrick Reed swung exhausting together with his 3-wood and, sensationally, holed out from 286 yards.
All of a sudden, we have been all discussing that rarest of birds and asking the apparent query: what number of albatrosses have there been within the historical past of the majors?
First, let’s begin with the US Open.
Beforehand TC Chen (Oakland Hills, 1985), Shaun Micheel (Pebble Seaside, 2010) and Nick Watney (Olympic, 2012) had managed an albatross at a US Open – now Captain America has joined the membership and turn out to be the fourth.
On the time, Reed was one over however in a single swish of a membership he moved to two-under. He later trebled the 18th for a gap three-over 73.
“It was a kind of issues that because you didn’t actually see it go in, this course is simply exit and make good golf swings. You attempt to hit your spots. It felt like going into there I used to be swinging it rather well. Simply occurred to be an ideal spot, good membership. When all you see is a tower, you’re making an attempt to hit on the tower. For it to go clearly is a bonus,” the 2018 Masters champ defined.
ALBATROSS ALERT @PReedGolf with a 2 on a par 5, simply the 4th in U.S. Open historical past! pic.twitter.com/FNDFzWwlzT
— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 12, 2025
Bizarrely, for us mere mortals, it wasn’t the primary time he had performed a single gap in three-under.
“Yeah, that was my third. It wasn’t my finest one. My finest one was in Germany. It was in a rain delay and we needed to come again the subsequent morning. (My caddy) Kess referred to as me off a 4-iron on the final gap and determined to hit reduce 5-wood, and proper into the outlet.
“The opposite one was really after I was a child, the Dominion, No. 9, a par-5 there. I used to be within the principally proper aspect of the golf green, there’s some overhanging timber. I made a decision to hit driver off the deck and the group in entrance of me was on the inexperienced and this factor rolls up they usually flip round and take a look at me after which all of them begin leaping as a result of they watched the ball roll proper previous them and disappear.”
So, we all know there have been 4 albatrosses in a US Open however what concerning the different majors?
The tally is surprisingly excessive, with the Open Championship main the best way with eight. Amazingly, 5 have come since 2000.
Right here is the checklist. There are – look forward to it – 19 of them.
All got here on par 5s aside from Younger Tom Morris who made a 3 on a par 6.
Masters (Augusta Nationwide)
Gene Sarazen – 1935Bruce Devlin – 1967Jeff Maggert – 1994Louis Oosthuizen – 2012
US Open
TC Chen – 1985 Oakland Hills 1985Shaun Micheel – 2010 Pebble BeachNick Watney – 2012 Olympic ClubPatrick Reed – 2025 Oakmont
The Open
Younger Tom Morris – 1870 PrestwickJohnny Miller – 1972 MuirfieldBill Rogers – 1983 BirkdaleManny Zerman – 2000 St AndrewsJeff Maggert – 2001 LythamGreg Owen – 2001 LythamGary Evans – 2004 TroonPaul Lawrie – 2009 Turnberry
PGA Championship
Darrell Kestner – 1993 Inverness ClubPer-Ulrik Johansson – 1995 RivieraJoey Sindelar – 2006 Medinah
READ MORE: What would an 18 handicapper shoot at Oakmont? The solutions from the US Open’s prime stars will shock you
