The ninth hole at East Lake had been quietly wrecking people all week — a scoring average nearly a tenth of a stroke over par, only three birdies before Sunday, an intimidating uphill tee shot over water that had turned 46-year-old men into nervous wrecks. Then Justin Rose stepped up with a 6-iron and skipped the suffering entirely.
The Shot
Final round of the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club, the par-3 ninth, 208 yards, and Rose’s tee shot took the most direct route possible to the bottom of the cup. It was the first ace on that hole by a PGA Tour player since Xander Schauffele in 2019 — on a hole that had already produced 88 pars, 11 bogeys, and a double bogey that week and exactly three birdies before Rose showed up.
🚨 SLAM DUNK ACE 🚨@JustinRose99 makes a hole-in-one at the 9th, the hardest hole on the course @TOURChamp!
(Presented by @TruGreen) pic.twitter.com/MuPhjoLEiV
— PGA Tour (@PGATour) August 30, 2026
Rose’s reaction wasn’t the usual fist-pump-and-hug routine. He threw both arms up and mimed a basketball slam dunk, like the golf gods had just posterized the entire field. Playing partner Si Woo Kim and Kim’s caddie got the high-fives. Somewhere, a hole that had spent all week making grown men look silly got a taste of its own medicine.
Why It Matters More Than It Looks
Rose had opened the round with two bogeys — this hole-in-one didn’t just make highlight reels, it clawed him all the way back to even par in one swing. It’s also the fourth ace of his career, which sounds like a nice round number until you remember most golfers, professional or otherwise, go their whole lives without one, let alone four.
The Takeaway
The Justin Rose hole-in-one at East Lake is the kind of shot that reminds you why the hardest holes are also the most fun to watch — everyone else on the leaderboard was fighting the ninth all week, and Rose just skipped the fight and went straight to the celebration.
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For more info: Golf Digest