U.S. Open hole-in-one history: Sepp Straka and Francesco Molinari join exclusive list with Round 2 ace at Pinehurst

This year's U.S. Open has proven to be a challenging course for the field to handle. Sepp Straka sinking an ace could prove to be a major boon for his chances.

Straka sunk an ace on the ninth hole at Pinehurst Resort during Round 2, the first hole-in-one of the 2024 U.S. Open. His big shot came during what had been a challenging day for him as he triple-bogeyed the No. 3 and bogeyed both the No. 4 and 6 holes. He was 2 over through the front nine.

Just a few hours after Straka aced No. 9, Francesco Molinari accomplished the feat, too.

Few golfers have ever sunk holes-in-one at the U.S. Open, a major that rotates host sites throughout the years. In the history of the U.S. Open at Pinehurst, only two golfers have sunk aces, and both came on the No. 9 hole.

Here's what you need to know about Straka and Molinari's shots and the history behind holes-in-one at the U.S. Open.

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Sepp Straka hole-in-one

Straka sunk a hole-in-one at the par 3, 194-yard No. 9 hole.

The ace was a nice change of pace for Straka. On the No. 3 hole, Straka's shot hit the flagstick on an approach shot and the ball caromed off and away from the hole. He wound up triple-bogeying the hole.

Francesco Molinari hole-in-one

A few hours later, Molinari aced the No. 9 hole in Round 2, which allowed him to make the 5-over cut line.

His hole-in-one is just the fourth in history at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst. The shot sends him to the weekend's rounds.

U.S. Open holes-in-one

Straka's hole-in-one was the 52nd ace hit at the U.S. Open. It was also the third ace hit at Pinehurst, joining Peter Jacobsen in 2005 and Zach Johnson in 2014. With the three holes-in-one, Pinehurst now is tied for the course with the fifth-most aces, joining Bethpage Black and the Los Angeles Country Club.

Last year, there were three aces hit at the U.S. Open at the Los Angeles Country Club, which was tied for the second-most holes-in-one at a single U.S. Open in event history. It was the first time the event had ever been held at the Los Angeles Country Club.

Pebbles Beach Golf Links still holds the clear record for the course with the most U.S. Open aces as it has eight. Baltusrol Country Club has six, Oak Hill Country Club has five and Winged Foot Golf Course has four.

Here's a look back at the the other holes-in-one from the major.