Jonathan Byrd wins in Las Vegas with hole-in-one on fourth playoff hole
Jonathan Byrd ended the three-man playoff in the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospital for Children Open in Las Vegas earlier than expected, striking a hole-in-one on the fourth extra hole. Moments earlier, Byrd stood on the 18th green with Martin Laird and Cameron Percy as they discussed whether there was enough light to continue. They agreed to play one more hole, the 204-yard 17th at the TPC Summerlin.
Byrd had the honors and hit a slight draw toward the flag. That’s about all he saw. The ball landed about 10 feet short of the hole and rolled in like a putt. It was too dark for Byrd to see the ball disappear into the cup, and even the cheers from a smattering of fans around the green were not immediately convincing. Even Byrd wasn’t quite sure what happened. Did it go in? he asked his caddy. Being a good sport, he didn’t lose his mind immediately, both his playing partners still had to tee off.
I’m in shock. It’s kind of hard to process. … I thought I hit it too far. And I couldn’t see anything, said Byrd, who won $774,000 after holing his 6-iron shot. Not bad for one swing of the club.
