CINCINNATI, Ohio | Germany’s Olivia Cowan made the 13th hole-in-one of the 2023 LPGA Tour season on Friday at the Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G. The 27-year-old aced the par-3 8th hole from 154 yards with her 7-iron, and while many players find themselves a little surprised when a shot finds the bottom of the cup, Cowan felt like the ball was going in from the moment it left the clubface.
“I hit quite a good shot. Don't know what much to say. Went in the hole, so that was nice,” said Cowan. “Played how I wanted to play it so it was good. I was watching it and I just kind of knew it was going to go in for some reason. So, when it went in, I actually wasn't that shocked. I don't know why. I was stoked.”
She’s also had a few holes-in-one in competition before so Cowan knows how it feels to make an ace under pressure; however, her second-round hole out helped her tie up a competition she has going with her boyfriend, something that Cowan is just as fired up about as the “1” on her scorecard.
“I've had a few (holes-in-one). I think I've had two in an event before. In total I've had four I think,” she said. “My first initial thought was I've caught my boyfriend up now because it's kind of a competition, who has the more aces. I think we're on the same level now.”
In honor of Cowan’s ace in Cincinnati, Ohio, CME will donate $20,000 to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital as part of their CME Group Cares Challenge – Score 1 for St. Jude. The Challenge is a season-long charitable giving program that turns aces into donations with a minimum guaranteed donation of $500,000 to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, which is leading the way in how the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and life-threatening diseases. Cowan's hole-in-one was the first of two that were recorded on Friday, raising the 2023 donation total to $280,000.
Making a hole-in-one is always a special accomplishment for anyone playing on the LPGA Tour, but getting to contribute to childhood cancer research and treatment makes an ace mean even more to these professional athletes. While she was happy to make her first career ace on the LPGA Tour, Cowan was even more pleased to hear about the $20,000 donation that CME would be making on her behalf.
“I think that's amazing,” she said. “It makes it even more sweeter, to be honest, to be able to help other people with one shot, so that's great.”
Congrats to @OliviaCowan on her hole in one!
— LPGA (@LPGA) September 8, 2023
She used a 7-iron on the 154-yard hole No. 8 at Kenwood Country Club! 👏 pic.twitter.com/OYG7hwZkI0
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