AUGUSTA, Ga. — It had been three years since anyone had made a hole-in-one at the Masters, and four years since an ace had happened at the 16th hole.
During Sunday’s final round, there seemed to be one every hour, on the hour.
Spectators who set up for the day at the 16th were treated to a scene never before witnessed. Shane Lowry, Davis Love, and Louis Oosthuizen all made holes-in-one there, with Oosthuizen saving the best for last. After J.B. Holmes knocked his ball on the green — some 3 feet above the hole — Oosthuizen sent his tee shot on a similar line. Taking the slope, his ball made contact with Holmes’s ball, knocking Oosthuizen’s ball on a slightly different path. The redirected ball rolled a few feet and dropped into the hole, a remarkable ricochet ace.
“I was just hoping that it was my ball that was in and not J.B.’s, because then neither of us would have a hole-in-one,’’ said Oosthuizen, noting that Holmes, by rule, was forced to return his ball to the spot where the contact was made. “To do it in that setting on 16, that was brilliant.’’
The aces were the 16th, 17th, and 18th at No. 16 in tournament history.
“It was a great way to finish my Masters,’’ said Love, who will captain the US Ryder Cup team for a second time when the matches are held in Minnesota on Sept. 30-Oct. 2. “I made some 2s [at the 16th hole before], but I don’t think I ever came close to making it.’’
None of the three threatened to win.
Oosthuizen shot 71 and tied for 15th, while Love had 77 to tie for 42d, and Lowry a 75 to tie for 39th.
Of the 27 aces in Masters history, one has come at the fourth (Jeff Sluman, 1992), five at the sixth (most recently Jamie Donaldson in 2013), and three at the 12th (most recently Curtis Strange in 1988).
“I feel pretty lucky to have a hole-in-one around this place, in this tournament,’’ Lowry said. “I’m sure I’ll get a picture somewhere and frame it in the house. It will be a nice memento to have.’’
Playing No. 16 two hours before Lowry, Henrik Stenson sent his tee shot on the money line, bringing it in right to left, from behind the hole, using the slope of the green. As the anticipatory noise began to build from the crowd near the green, Stenson lifted his arms, club in his hands. When the ball rolled just past the hole, he threw his club down in mock anger. Stenson made the short putt for birdie.
Experience counts
The first time Matthew Fitzpatrick played in the Masters, he got here by winning the 2013 US Amateur at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. Then 19, he missed the cut in his Augusta debut, not sure when he’d be back, because it would need to come as a professional.
It only took Fitzpatrick two years. And he made the most of his week, finishing with such a flourish that he’s earned the right to come back next year.
Fitzpatrick birdied four of his final five holes, the lone par coming at No. 17. It allowed Fitzpatrick to match the low round of the day, a 5-under 67 that sent him into a tie for seventh. The top 12 and ties automatically qualify for the following year’s Masters.
“When I came as an amateur, I didn’t have any expectations, mainly it was to make the cut. [Now] it’s different. I think every shot really does count,’’ said Fitzpatrick. “It was a great experience for me, and I think I wouldn’t have done as well as I did this year without that.’’
Still getting it done
Love wasn’t the only over-50 player who made the cut. Bernhard Langer was 1 under par and tied for third after 54 holes, and found himself in the next-to-last group at 58 years old. His bid to become a three-time Masters winner (1985, 1993) and the oldest major champion was thwarted by a slow start; Langer bogeyed No. 1, didn’t birdie the par-5 second, and double-bogeyed the third hole. He failed to make a birdie, shot 79, and tied for 24th. Larry Mize (74) tied for 52d at the age of 57 . . . Smiley Kaufman, a Masters rookie paired with Jordan Spieth in the final group, carded nine bogeys and a double bogey, and tied for 29th after shooting 81 . . . Bryson DeChambeau ended his amateur career with a birdie on the 18th hole and an even-par 72. He finished 5 over at T-21, taking low amateur honors over Romain Langasque (T-39). DeChambeau, the reigning US Amateur champion, will make his professional debut this week at the PGA Tour’s stop in Hilton Head, S.C. Langasque, the 2015 British Amateur winner, birdied four of his final five holes, shooting a 31 on the inward nine for a 68. He finished 10 over . . . When a tee shot on No. 11 bounced near the gallery rope and settled in pine straw, Kaye Bradley did what many concerned parents would do: She leaned over in an attempt to identify if the ball was hit by her son, Keegan. It was, and led to a double bogey. Bradley’s struggles on the front nine continued — he shot 39, and was 11 over there for the week — and shot 77, matching his third-round score. The Vermont native, playing in the fifth and final year of his exemption for winning the 2011 PGA Championship, tied for 52d . . . After Bubba Watson finished his 71, three boys were asking for a golf ball behind the 18th green. Watson had two golf balls, and threw both to two of the young fans. Not wanting to leave the third empty-handed, he handed over his green golf glove.
Michael Whitmer can be reached at mwhitmer @globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeWhitmer.
