Francesco Molinari pulled off the unthinkable during the second round of the US Open on Friday.
The 2018 Open champion has fallen off the radar in recent years, now sitting down at 324th in the World Golf Rankings.
Furthermore, the 41-year-old has missed the cut on his most recent five appearances at a major, last reaching the weekend at the Open Championship in 2022.
However, in a moment of brilliance - combined with luck - at Pinehurst Resort on Friday, the Italian's fortunes changed for the better in miraculous circumstances.
Molinari hits hole-in-one at Pinehurst
After posting bogeys on three of his previous eight holes, Molinari was well on the way to missing the cut, trailing the cut line by two shots heading into his final hole.
Molinari was aware that only a hole-in-one at the 194-yard par-three ninth hole would see him through to rounds three and four.
Although Molinari received a fortunate first bounce, the 41-year-old achieved his target, relying on the crowd around the hole to tell him that his ball had found the cup.
Now THAT'S one way to make the cut! 😍
— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) June 14, 2024
Francesco Molinari with a hole in one to get within the projected cut line! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/YtNhDiPtRu
As a result, Molinari became one of 18 players to make the cut by a single shot, a group that includes world number one Scottie Scheffler.
That pack trail leader Ludvig Aberg by 10 shots, yet the unpredictability of Pinehurst No.2 keeps all of the field in contention at this stage of the tournament.
Darren Plant
