Caroline Masson didn’t like the tee shot she hit on the par-3 2nd hole in the first round of The Standard Portland Classic – at first, anyway.

Masson tugged the 7-iron she hit on the 153-yard second at Columbia Edgewater Country Club just a hair to the left and didn’t think the strike was going to wind up in a good spot, that is, until her ball beelined straight for the pin. The flag was tucked behind the front left bunker in the fattest portion of the green, and the hole itself was blocked from view, so Masson had no idea her ball had found the bottom of the cup for an ace until a cheer went up from the smattering of people who were following her group.

“(It was) a little bit surprising because sometimes I feel like you hit a good shot and you're like, go in, go in. It didn't even cross my mind that it could possibly go in, so it was surprising and really fun,” Masson said. “Everybody was just like, ‘Oh, wow,’ kind of surprised. My caddie and I were like I can't believe that just happened.”

Masson’s hole-in-one in Oregon is the German’s first on the LPGA Tour since she made her first career ace as defending champion of the Manulife LPGA Classic in 2017, holing out on the 160-yard, par-3 17th hole at Whistle Bear Golf Club in Ontario, Canada with her 8-iron. It’s the 13th ace to be recorded this season in an LPGA Tour event and the first one since both Stephanie Kyriacou and Mimi Rhodes made holes-in-one in the second and final rounds at the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Porthcawl Golf Club in Wales a few weeks ago.

In honor of her hole out, CME Group will be making a $20,000 donation on Masson’s behalf to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as part of their CME Group Cares Challenge – Score 1 for St. Jude campaign. The Challenge is a charitable giving program that sees money donated to the organization in support of childhood cancer treatment and research for every ace made on the LPGA Tour in a season, something that Masson was delighted to be able to contribute to with her hole-in-one.

“It's a great cause,” Masson said. “I think we see it a lot in golf, and for us players to do something and be able to contribute to that is awesome. I'm very excited about it.”

The lucky shot propelled the 36-year-old to an opening 5-under 67 at Columbia Edgewater Country Club, leaving Masson just a couple of strokes behind the early leaders at the conclusion of round one. The 67 is Masson’s lowest score on the LPGA Tour since she opened with a 64 at The Standard Portland Classic last season and is her first round in the 60s since she carded a 69 on day two of the ShopRite LPGA Classic back in June.

And while holes-in-one that come late in rounds like Masson’s did on Thursday can sometimes cause an adrenaline spike that’s much more of a nuisance than a welcome companion for an athlete, Masson felt like her ace couldn’t have happened at a better point in her day to help generate some momentum, particularly after she had ridden the rollercoaster a bit throughout her opening nine holes.

“It was a good time, I think,” Masson said. “It got me back under par, which, on this golf course, you always feel like you want to gain on it and keep under par and make more birdies. Bogeyed the next hole after that. Actually, I made a good bogey. Then after that, I settled down and played pretty solid.

“Made a few good putts, good birdies coming in. It wasn't the perfect round of golf. There are things I can do a little bit better the next three days. Overall, my scoring was good, and my putting was there. Coming off quite a few weeks of not playing golf, it was fun today.”

And while Masson will surely be celebrating her hole-in-one on Thursday evening in some form or fashion in Portland, Oregon, the LPGA Mom is most looking forward to calling her son Benton and explaining what transpired in the first round of The Standard Portland Classic, whether he fully gets what she’s talking about or not.

“I don't think it's on camera, so we can't show him,” Masson said. “I'm definitely going to tell him about it. Hopefully one day he'll understand.”

Caroline Masson Cards Hole-In-One in Round One of The Standard Portland Classic

Related Articles