'I've Never Hit A Shot And Been This Excited' - Padraig Harrington Reacts To Son's Ace At PNC Championship
The three-time Major winner could barely speak after watching his son, Paddy, produce his first ever hole-in-one at the PNC Championship on Sunday
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At the PNC Championship, Charlie Woods made his first ever hole-in-one and, just 30 minutes later, it was Paddy Harrington who joined the 15-year-old, as the son of Padraig produced his first ever ace at the par 3 eighth.
The father-son duo were making a good move on Sunday and, following birdies at the first, third, fifth and sixth, they were just two shots back. However, after Paddy's ace at the eighth, they found themselves in a share of the lead.
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Speaking to the Golf Channel after his first ever hole-in-one, Paddy stated: "My caddie and I thought we'd hit the 5-iron because there's a lot of wind there. At the last minute we changed to the 6-iron and I hit it pure. It was right on it and it fell lovely into the hole."
Along with Paddy, his dad, Padraig was almost speechless, as the three-time Major winner could only utter the words "I've never been as excited before! I've never hit a shot and been that excited before."
The hole-in-one came from 185-yards and is just the third in the tournament's history, with the second being made by Charlie Woods just half-an-hour before at the par 3 fourth.
Tiger and Charlie Woods celebrate following Charlie's ace
In terms of the first ace made at the PNC Championship, that honor fell to Shaun O'Meara, son to two-time Major winner, Mark. That ace occurred in the 2014 edition of the tournament at the fourth hole.
Following the hole-out, the pair of Padraig and Paddy parred the ninth hole to go out in 30 shots, as a six-under-par front nine put them two back of Team Woods and Team Langer at the time.
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Matt joined Golf Monthly in February 2021 covering weekend news, before also transitioning to equipment and testing. After freelancing for Golf Monthly and The PGA for 18 months, he was offered a full-time position at the company in October 2022 and continues to cover weekend news and social media, as well as help look after Golf Monthly’s many buyers’ guides and equipment reviews.
Taking up the game when he was just seven years of age, Matt made it into his county squad just a year later and continues to play the game at a high standard, with a handicap of around 2-4. To date, his best round came in 2016, where he shot a six-under-par 66 having been seven-under through nine holes. He currently plays at Witney Lakes in Oxfordshire and his favourite player is Rory McIlroy, despite nearly being struck by his second shot at the 17th during the 2015 BMW PGA Championship.
Matt’s current What’s In The Bag?
Driver: Honma TW747, 8.75°
Fairway Wood: TaylorMade Rocketballz Stage 2, 15°, 19°
Hybrid: Adams Super Hybrid, 22°
Irons: Mizuno MP54, 5-PW
Wedges: Cleveland 588 RTX 2.0 Tour Satin, 50°, 56°, 60°
Putter: Cleveland TFI 2135 Satin Cero
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
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