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Sabbatini gets U.S. Open's first ace since 2014

Put Rory Sabbatini down for a 1.

Sabbatini, who shot a 72 on the day, made the first hole-in-one at the U.S. Open since 2014 when he aced the 202-yard 12th hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links during Thursday's first round.

Playing a neon yellow ball, he hit an iron onto the green, where the ball bounced hard twice, then clanged into the hole.

"I just hit as high a 5-iron as I could up in the air with a high cut," Sabbatini said. "Landed, one bounce into the hole. That's what I was told. I'm not sure exactly. I'm not that tall, so I can't really see over the bunker that well."

It was the eighth U.S. Open ace at Pebble and the 45th in tournament history. The previous one came from Zach Johnson on No. 9 at Pinehurst in 2014.

Sabbatini joins Johnny Miller (1982) as the only players with a hole-in-one on No. 12 in a U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.

Sabbatini claimed a small piece of history as the first Slovakian to make an ace in the U.S. Open. Born in South Africa, Sabbatini became a citizen of his wife's country at the end of last year.

Thursday's was his second ace on the PGA Tour, with the other coming at the 2012 Travelers.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.