Watson adds ace memory to collection which began alone in Kansas

The 61-year-old aced the 169-yard sixth when his four-iron tee shot bounced once on the green before disappearing into the cup.

A huge roar rang out from around the par three, which is a natural amphitheatre with a huge hill packed with fans basking in the morning sunshine.

“You can’t see it go in. It was a slam dunk but if it missed the flag it would’ve been 30 feet by,” said the American, whose other major ace came in the 1980 US Open at Baltusrol. “They’re all lucky when they go in – but that’s what I was aiming at.”

Watson can recall most of his holes in one but a couple stand out.

“One of my favourites was at Oakmont in 1969 when I was playing in the US Amateur and I got off to a very bad start to be four over for the first seven holes,” he added.

“The eighth hole was a 230-yard par three and I hit a three iron in the hole and then birdied the next.

“I ended up shooting 75 the first round, got back into the tournament and I ended up qualifying for the Masters (his first) by finishing fifth. It kind of propelled me on to that.”

His other favourite ace comes from even further back.

“I was a lad of 11 or 12 playing by myself at Kansas City Country Club and I made a hole in one at the second,” he explained.

“I’d read an advertisement in Golf Digest which said if you made a hole in one with a Dunlop ball, you sent it in and they put it on a plaque. I went into the pro shop and told the only guy in there – John Cosnotti, the assistant pro.

“He said, ‘Tom, we’ve got a problem. You have to have a witness’ and my elation disappeared.

“Then he walked over to the window looking down 400 yards to the second hole and said, ‘You know, Tom, I saw that go in’, signed the scorecard and I still have that plaque with the Dunlop No 4 ball on it.”

Surprise amateur contender Tom Lewis, playing with Watson, showed he had the grit to go with his guile.

The 20-year-old, winner of 2009 Boys Amateur Championship at Royal St George’s followed the lowest round by an amateur in the tournament’s 140-year history, 65, with a 74.

There were some moments of bad luck and others of hesitancy but he battled to finish one under and remain among the leaders.