It was a low-scoring day for Jenny Bae at the Ford Championship presented by Wild Horse Pass, highlighted by a spectacular hole-in-one on the par-3 sixth hole. Despite not seeing the ball disappear into the cup, the ace served as the centerpiece of her 6-under 66, a round that also featured an eagle on the par-5 second hole.

"I don't really remember. It's all a blur," Bae said of the 152-yard shot. "I hit a 9-iron, and it came off the face really hot. The first thought I had was, 'Oh, my God, it's going over.'"

The realization only hit when the gallery and her caddie erupted in celebration.

"Ten seconds later, two people are whooping up there, and my caddie is screaming," she said. "He goes, 'You got it in.' I didn't get to see it, which kind of sucks."

The ace marks Bae’s first hole-in-one on the LPGA Tour, though she is no stranger to the feat, noting she has recorded nine in her career.

Beyond the fireworks on the sixth, Bae credited her ball-striking for keeping her calm on a day when the field went low. While she admitted to some short-game struggles on the front nine, her confidence from the tee and into the greens provided a necessary cushion.

"I think today I could really rely on my irons and my tee shots," Bae said. "I think it really put me at a little bit more ease going into the greens."

As temperatures climbed in the desert, the Georgia native remained unfazed by the heat, citing her Southern upbringing as a natural advantage.

"I don't think the heat really affects me personally," she said. "I'm always thinking about the present shot, and it helps that I have a really good caddie that tells me to just focus on the present and just try to visualize every shot."

Despite the career milestone, Bae's celebration will be short-lived. With an early tee time scheduled for the second round, the LPGA sophomore is sticking to her routine.

"If my tee time wasn't in the morning, I might have, but sadly, no," Bae said. "Just going to be a normal go to bed."

Bae's feat will also result in a $20,000 donation made on her behalf to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital by CME Group as part of the CME Group Cares Challenge – Score 1 for St. Jude. The challenge is a season-long charitable program that turns holes-in-one into donations for childhood cancer treatment and research; Bae's ace marks the second contribution to St. Jude in 2026.

Jenny Bae Cards Second Ace of 2026 in Ford Championship Opening Round

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