In the first round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic on Thursday in Detroit, Mark Hubbard was embarrassed by what he thought was a bad swing and put his head down in disgust after his tee shot on the par-3 11th hole. Immediately after hitting the ball, he was visibly disappointed and let his club fall on the ground.
"That's embarrassing," he said as soon as the ball took off.
As has happened to so many golfers, though, what Hubbard thought was a bad swing turned out to be much, much better than he expected. The ball landed near the fringe at the front of the green and continued rolling to finish the 216-yard journey, before dancing around the hole once and dropping in for an ace.
Have a look:
I hate it
I hate it
I hate it
I LOVE IT@HomelessHubbs drops it in for an ace 🎯 pic.twitter.com/Hu1dCFnEPP— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 28, 2022
Hubbard was just as shocked as everyone around him, and quickly covered his mouth. The first question asked was if it actually went in. It certainly did, and his group teased him about how he did not deserve a high five for making that shot after dropping his club. Right before registering the ace, even his playing partner, Wyndham Clark, had teased him about how that ball better not go in.
They were not the only ones to have a little fun at his expense. Joel Dahmen, another golfer competing in Detroit, playfully booed him on Twitter. His own brother, Nathan, also pitched in on social media.
Nevertheless, Hubbard enjoyed his moment on Thursday. During his media availability, he said he thought the ball was going to go too far to the right but was pleasantly surprised with the result.
"I think that's probably going to end up being one of my favorite hole-in-ones I ever had just because of the situation," he said.
By the end of the day, Hubbard had hit 12 of 18 greens and finished at 4-under for the day. His best finishes this year have been third at the Barbasol Championship and fourth at the Barracuda Championship.
The Rocket Mortgage Classic is taking place from July 28 to 31. Click here for all the information on how to watch.