An Ace to Remember for a PGA Member at TPC Scottsdale’s Famed 16th Hole

Imagine for a minute that you’re getting a chance to play one of the most recognizable par 3s in golf — the iconic 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale.

It’s a few weeks before the WM Phoenix Open, with hospitality, grandstands and bleacher seats built out and enclosing the hole like a modern day coliseum. You walk through the tunnel from No. 15 and emerge to see the spectacle of why the 16th is one of golf’s most exciting holes.

That was PGA Member Keith Bennett a few weeks ago, who was playing TPC Scottsdale with friends Christian and Stefan, as well as Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Taijuan Walker. The foursome was out there for a fun round of golf, amazed at the environment — especially, No. 16.

“Your heart rate goes up when you walk through the tunnel to that 16th tee,” says Bennett.

And then something even more amazing happened: Bennett stepped up and made a hole-in-one.

From 131 yards with a pitching wedge, Bennett’s ball hit the green once and dunked into the hole, putting his group into complete pandemonium.

“It happened so fast that it was almost a shock more than anything before elation took over,” remembers Bennett, who’s a PGA Teaching Professional at McCormick Ranch Golf Club in Scottsdale. “Then it hit me that where I made an ace and it’s probably one of the top 5 places on earth I’d want to make one.”

Check out Bennett’s epic video of the moment: