Winning the Grand Slam is considered one of rarest feats in men’s golf.
In modern times, just six players have achieved it by capturing all four major championships: The Masters, US Open, Open Championship and PGA Championship.
Rory McIlroy joined that elusive club in April 2025 when he won The Masters to join Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.
But how about a different kind of Grand Slam?
We’re talking about having a hole-in-one at four of the most iconic par 3s in the game.
There are plenty of candidates but how about taking the opinion of McIlroy, who was asked the question at the recent AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Rory agreed with the first two and then put forward two more of his own.
7th at Pebble Beach – 106 yards
Perhaps the most picturesque par 3 in world golf. The cliffside 7th at Pebble is only a flick with a wedge in good weather but if the wind is gusting a wood may even be required. It’s situated on Arrowhead Point and surrounded by the Pacific Ocean on three sides. From the tee, it’s a 40-foot drop to the green and bunkers come into play too.
17th at Sawgrass – 137 yards
The Signature hole at TPC Sawgrass is a round wrecker and even a tournament wrecker. Many a tour pro admits that they have the fearsome 17th in mind as soon as they set foot on the course and it’s cost several players victory when they’ve appeared on the verge of winning one of the biggest tournaments in golf – The Players Championship. With its island green, a watery grave awaits and over 1,000 balls have ended in the wet stuff since tracking began in 2003.
12th at Augusta – 155 yards
“Golden Bell” doesn’t look too difficult on the scorecard at just over 150 yards. It features a shallow green, angled from bottom left to top right and forms part of Amen Corner – a treacherous stretch on the back nine at Augusta National. With swirling winds often difficult to judge, Green Jackets have been lost there, with players finding Rae’s Creek in front of the green or the surrounding bunkers and azaleas.
8th at Royal Troon – 123 yards
The hole got its name when golf writer, William Park, said the short par 3 at Royal Troon had a “pitching surface skimmed down to the size of a Postage Stamp”.
The tee shot, from elevated ground, is played over a gully to a long, narrow green set into the side of a large sandhill. Bunkers surround it and despite the “Postage Stamp” being the shortest hole in Open Championship golf, it can play devilishly difficult in the wind.
So, the big question, has anyone made a hole-in-one at all four?
No.
How about at three of them?
No, again.
Okay, two?
Yes! That man is Shane Lowry, who aced the 7th at Pebble Beach in 2025 and had a hole-in-one at TPC Sawgrass in 2022.
In fact, if we replaced Augusta National’s 12th hole with the course’s other famous back-nine par 3, the 16th (Redbud), Lowry would have drained his tee-shot at three of the four holes.
Lowry made his hole-in-one at 16 in the 2016 Masters.
On that revised Grand Slam of hole-in-ones list, he’d need only the Postage Stamp to complete his collection.
The famous Scottish links staged the Open in 2024 so Lowry will have to wait a while yet to get another chance.
In this century, Troon hosted in 2004, 2016 and 2024 so perhaps 2032 could be the next date.
Lowry will be 45 then but that’s nothing.
Although only four aces have been made at the “Postage Stamp” in Open history, in the 1973 edition, Gene Sarazen made his hole-in-one there at the grand old age of 71!
Read next: Revealed: The seven most overrated golf courses in the world
The post The ultimate hole-in-one Grand Slam: has anyone actually done it? appeared first on Golf365.
Article Link: The ultimate hole-in-one Grand Slam: has anyone actually done it?