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          One-armed amateur aces hole on PGA Tour stop

          • ESPN
          Jan 17, 2020, 03:13 AM

          This week's PGA Tour event in California has a host of golf's biggest names -- Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler and Tony Finau, to name a few.

          But during Thursday's opening round, it was an amateur who had the day's most memorable shot.

          Laurent Hurtubise, who was born with one arm, recorded a hole-in-one on the 151-yard par-3 fourth hole at the PGA West Stadium Course in La Quinta, California.

          The PGA Tour tweeted video of the ace, as well as the reaction of Hurtubise, who threw his hat in the air and high-fived members of his group, which included PGA Tour members Troy Merritt and Greg Chalmers.

          "He hit the shot and it was a nice little cut for a lefty," Chalmers told PGATour.com. Right away we sort of said 'sit down,' but it was one of those shots where you always thought, hang on -- this could go in here.

          "It landed around the front of the green and we were all watching it closely as it tracked toward the hole and then, bang, it disappeared. We all went up in celebration and Laurent went ballistic and maybe let out a few choice words, but who could blame him? It was an incredible shot."

          Said Merritt: "That was the coolest experience I've had on the golf course."

          Hurtubise, from Canada, was playing as part of the The American Express tournament, which is a pro-am. According to PGA Tour.com, Hurtubise began playing golf at age 11 and has competed in this event as an amateur multiple times.

          He was born with a right arm that ends just below the elbow. Taking a full, left-handed swing, Hurtubise previously told the Desert Sun that he can drive the ball a good 230 yards, and when he competed in this event in 2018 (when it was named the CareerBuilder Challenge), he shot a 78 and also holed out from 60 yards.

          Hurtubise said inspiring others is his real thrill.

          "I wish I could do more of that, to be honest," he told the Desert Sun two years ago. "But it does feel fulfilling when someone tells me they've been inspired to play a sport because of me."