Tuesday 20 December 2016 18:50, UK
The four majors in 2016 witnessed four holes in one, although three of them were on the same hole on the same day, and Louis Oosthuizen recorded another at The Open.
There were a number of close shaves over the first three days of the Masters in April, and Shane Lowry started the ball rolling - so to speak - when he made the first of three aces on the 16th at Augusta National.
The Irishman's eight-iron pitched to the right of the target and caught the slope, rolling straight into the middle of the cup to lift his spirits after a difficult tournament in which he opened with an encouraging 68 but then slipped to 10 over with rounds of 76, 79 and 75.
Lowry's perfect blow was soon emulated by Davis Love III, who was seven over for the day before making a big move in the right direction with a hole in one similar to that of the Irishman. Strangely, we doubt if that moment was the outstanding highlight of 2016 for the Team USA Ryder Cup captain!
And there was more drama to follow at the famous par-three later on Sunday, with Oosthuizen making one of the most bizarre aces ever caught on camera in a professional tournament - let alone the Masters.
Oosthuizen's ball took the contours and headed towards the hole, but the ball of his playing partner JB Holmes was in the way. It mattered not! The deflection mere slowed the progress of Oosthuizen's balata on it's way to the bottom of the cup.
But the South African wasn't finished, and his habit of producing wonder shots on the big stage continued at Royal Troon as he lit up the opening day of the 145th Open with another hole in one at the 14th.
