This happened on a golf trip to Pinehurst with three friends from Seattle, and it was truly magical.

It was our first day at Pinehurst. We had just flown in from Seattle the night before and only managed about four hours of sleep. Despite the jet lag, nothing could dampen our excitement to play these legendary courses.

Our trip began with a morning round at Pinehurst No. 9. Fatigue caught up with me and I really struggled, but I still enjoyed the round with my friends. In the afternoon, we headed to No. 7 and decided to play from the Blue tees as practice for our upcoming round at No. 2. By then, my body had finally woken up—I started hitting some solid shots and felt back on track.

When we reached the 16th hole, a slightly downhill par 3, the pin was tucked in the back with 177 yards to the middle and 181 to the flag. I pulled out my Titleist T150 5-iron and took a smooth swing. The ball started left and faded perfectly toward the pin. I knew it was good, but I didn’t realize just how good until it landed a few feet short, rolled true, and struck the flagstick—dropping straight in. My first ever hole-in-one, at Pinehurst!

That night we celebrated properly at a local bar, and I promised the guys a fine dinner and wine back in Seattle. It’s still hard to believe it happened, and it’s a memory I’ll cherish forever.