Thongchai Jaidee scores rare ace at US Open

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) - Thongchai Jaidee has hit 10 holes-in-one in his long golfing career - and he realizes it takes a lot of luck on top of pinpoint shot-making.

He did it on the par-3, 181-yard fifth hole during his U.S. Open round Saturday, a feat he ranks right up there with his best accomplishments in the game. It was his eighth ace in a tournament and first on a stage this big.

"Good drop and then it took a left from the green and took a good bounce. I think very lucky from there," said Jaidee, who turned pro in 1999. "I made it on the green and I was very happy with that. It's a very difficult hole. ... Very tough course."

It marked the first hole-in-one in the Open since 2006, seventh in an Open at Pebble Beach and the 41st known ace in Open history. Peter Hedblom had the last one in the third round at the 238-yard third at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, N.Y.

Jaidee, a native of Thailand and among the last to make the cut, hit an 8-iron off the tee and the ball landed on the left side of the green then kicked right and rolled into the hole.

"A hole in one is not very easy," said the 40-year-old Jaidee, playing his second Open. "You need some luck. Today I got lucky on that one."

He watched some jaws drop in the gallery and, then, cheers from all directions.

All this after he eagled No. 3 on Friday. He once earned himself a new watch when he aced a hole during a stop in Taiwan on the Asian Tour.

"No prize. That's OK - in a major, I'm very proud. I enjoyed it," Jaidee said. "A very good memory for me. An eagle and hole-in-one in this tournament.

"A very good two holes. Later, we had so many three-putts and so many double-bogeys," he said, laughing after his 3-over round put him at 10-over 223.

The group in front of him heard the crowd roar.

"Pretty amazing," Jason Gore said. "It's hard enough just to hit it onto the green there."

Surawut Wannapintu has been Jaidee's caddie going on five years and hadn't seen him hit a hole-in-one until Saturday.

Of the other aces in Pebble's previous four Opens, three have come at the fifth. Jerry McGee and Bobby Mitchell accomplished it in the 1972 Open, while Bill Brodell aced the hole in the second round in 1982.

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GOING SOLO: Ty Tryon had the first tee time at 9 a.m. Saturday - all by himself.

While Tryon had the option of playing with a non-pro "marker" player, he opted to go solo with the guidance of longtime local Pebble Beach caddie Bob "Rocket" Lytle.

It was a tough round for Tryon, who was done in 3 1/2 hours but not at all happy with his game. Tryon had six bogeys and two double-bogeys - two each on the back nine - to finish 7 over for the day and go to 14-over 227 for the tournament.

One of those bogeys came on the 15th, when his tee shot hooked way left, bounced off the cart path and down the driveway of a home.

He took the shot again and wound up sinking a 30-foot bogey putt (it could have been for birdie), one of the few times his short game was on all day.

"I had a few little highlights there," Tyron said. "I felt really good and thought I'd do better. This is a weird feeling."

He compared it to being "stepped on."

Tryon, the former teen star a decade ago who quickly flopped and is now 26 and married with a 3-year-old son, kept his wits about him. He smacked a high-five with Lytle as they walked down the 16th fairway. Tryon's wife, Hanna, was just outside the ropes supporting him through the round.

Lytle joked that the putt was "the longest one we've made all week, that was a great birdie."

"I think he probably would have played better if he had some competition," Lytle said.

Tryon offered no excuses for his terrible day.

Tryon was cheered at nearly every tee and green. He even received some claps and a loud "Whoo!" from seven paddleboaters enjoying low tide in Carmel Bay after his drive at 18.

Dean Ryan of Ottawa, the rules chairman for the Royal Canadian Golf Association, was assigned to Tryon and chatted with the golfer after his tee shot on 18 sailed left and into the ocean.

"I'm his partner," Ryan joked. "He's kicking my butt."

While Tyron heard the crowd all over the course, fans at the 18th were happy to see a golfer on a day tee times began 2 hours later than the previous two days.

"Nice to finally see someone!" one man yelled.

"It was pretty cool going off right behind him," said Bobby Gates, who along with Kent Jones followed Tryon. "We didn't really see him at all until the last few holes. Basically it felt like Kent and I were the first group out and I think that helped a lot to play at our own speed."

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18TH BLISS: Jason Gore walks up to the 18th green at Pebble Beach and instantly is brought back to his wedding day right here in 2003.

"How can you not?" he said.

He and his wife, Megan, were married in the spot where the grandstands now sit. A regular at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in February, the Southern Californian had long envisioned a wedding on the famous 18th - with spectacular oceanside views as a backdrop.

"I've always wanted to do it here. She just obliged me," Gore said after his round Saturday. "This place is pretty special. Walking from 18 to 1 yesterday, those stairs are where she walked down."

There was Megan on Saturday with a cold Diet Coke for her husband when he came out of the scorer's trailer.

"Thank you, dear," he said.

When it comes to his golf, Gore is eager to turn around what has been a rough year. He chipped in on his final hole Friday to make the cut and hopes to gain some momentum from reaching the weekend at the Open. Gore shot 3 over Saturday and was at 10-over 223 for the tournament heading into Sunday's final round.

"I'm looking for anything to give me a glimmer of confidence," he said.

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BIRDIE ON 17: Bobby Gates landed his tee shot on the par-3 17th within two feet of the pin on a hole that has been causing other players fits. Gates made the short putt for birdie.

That was the closest course marshal Larry Pesetski had seen anybody get in three days stationed at that hole.

After partner Kent Jones hit a 4-iron to the right-side sand trap, Gates thought the wind was helping so he went with a 6-iron.

"I just hit it perfect. It fell right toward the hole and landed soft," Gates said. "It was a tough 2-footer, too. It was a relief to hit a good shot in there after the last two days."

Jones nearly had his own birdie. His chip out of the bunker spun around the far lip of the cup and out.

"It looked pretty good," Gates said. "I was thinking, 'Man, two 2s on this hole is pretty strong."'

Jones said the pin was easier than the previous two days, but when told he might have the best shot on 17 yet, he said: "It wouldn't surprise me. It really takes a great shot to get it in there, and a little bit of luck, too."

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A PAIR OF STUS: Given the fact they each sat at 7 over heading into Saturday's third round of the U.S. Open, Stewart Cink and Stuart Appleby were paired together. That sure made it easy for the gallery watching these two come through.

"Go Stewart (Stuart)!" worked perfectly.

They won't tee off together again Sunday.

Appleby shot a 5-over 76 to put him at 12-over 225, while Cink was even for the day and stood at 7 over through three rounds.