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GOLF-USA-OPEN-SVK-SABBATINI
Sabbatini aces 12th at Pebble Beach
PEBBLE BEACH, United States, June 14, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – South African-born
Slovakian Rory Sabbatini grabbed the 45th hole-in-one in US Open history
Thursday, acing the par-three 12th at Pebble Beach.
Sabbatini said he hit “as high a five-iron as I could, up in the air with a
high cut” at the 202-yard hole, where his bright yellow ball took a bounce
and landed in the cup.
Sabbatini had to hear the description from others.
“I’m not that tall, so I can’t really see over the bunker that well,” he
said. “I just hit it absolutely perfect, and we hit it close at the previous
hole.
“I told my caddie, we’ve been having a lot of close calls, and one is going
to go in sooner or later — but (I) wasn’t expecting that.”
The ace moved Sabbatini to one-under for the day and he finished on one-
over 72.
“For the most of the round I felt like I played decently,” he said.
“Unfortunately I made too many mental mistakes out there. And so I’m a little
ticked off at myself.
“But all in all, I didn’t shoot myself in the foot too badly.”
Sabbatini, who represented South Africa in golf’s World Cup five times and
played for the International team in the Presidents Cup in 2007, took
Slovakian citizenship in December in a move that could allow him to represent
that country in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Sabbatini’s wife Martina Stofanikova is from Slovakia.
A six-time winner on the US PGA Tour, Sabbatini’s best finish in 11
previous US Open appearances was a tie for 30th in 2011. He has missed the
cut seven times.
BSS/AFP/GMR/0837 hrs