17 February 2024 , 18:18
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Will Zalatoris won cars for himself and his caddie Joel Stock on the second day of the Genesis Invitational after hitting the first hole-in-one at Riviera Country Club this week.
Zalatoris, 27, aced the 184-yard par-3 14th hole during his second round in California. The 136mph tee shot landed on the front left edge of the green, bouncing three times before beginning its slow roll into the cup.
Cue the celebrations as Zalatoris threw his 7-iron into the air as Stock dropped his bag with his player bounding over for an embrace. The caddie lifted him off the ground as they soaked in the moment, taking adulation from the applauding gallery while knowing the significance of the achievement.
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The ace, which Zalatoris counts as the 10th of his career, sees the three-time major runner-up receive a Genesis GV80. Meanwhile, his caddie Stock is the new owner of a Genesis Electrified GV70.
The shot flipped his round from one-over to one-under, making four bogeys and three birdies beforehand. After an opening round of 66, Zalatoris sits in a tie for sixth, seven shots short of controversial clubhouse leader Patrick Cantlay.
Zalatoris and Stock dropped what they were holding before making a beeline each other (Sky Sports)Explaining the shot after a one-under 70 round, Zalatoris recalled: "I think it was 180, pin back, into the wind, and we were just trying to hit it kind of right in the middle of that gap between the two bunkers. I just pulled it about 10 feet, and it landed perfectly on the fringe and killed it. Lucky to go in. It was a nice little bonus."
Zalatoris famously aced the seventh hole at Winged Foot in 2020 during the first round of the US Open but had been on a barren run by his standards as of late. "We've been talking about it,” he acknowledged. "I went through a stretch in like 2020 where I made like five, and I haven't made one since, so I was like, 'I'm going to make one sooner or later.'"
Stock shared that the conversation even came up earlier this week on Wednesday. “(He) holed a shot from the fairway on (hole No.) 3 in the pro-am,” the caddie said of his player. "And he jokingly said, 'The lid's off now' - so I guess it was."
Player and caddie embraced each other after the achievement (Sky Sports)He was previously caddie to five-time PGA Tour winner Ben Crane for ten years, then working with Cameron Tringale and Kevin Tway before agreeing to carry the bag for Zalatoris in the summer of 2022. Asked if Crane had ever won him something similar, Stock replied: “Not a car, just a bunch of Wyndham (hotel) points one time."
That came at the 2017 Wyndham Championship after his boss aced the prize hole. “I just like seeing the hole-in-ones; that's what excites me,” the caddie continued.
For Zalatoris, Stock is the real winner. He said: "He's staying for free everywhere, and he's driving for free everywhere he wants to now, so pretty good."