On this day: Rory's first hole-in-one

Three years ago today Rory McIlroy made the first hole-in-one of his professional career at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship.

Here we look back at that memorable shot which is still McIlroy’s only ace in professional tournament golf.

Prior to teeing up on the par three 15th at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, McIlroy was in need of something special.

Martin Kaymer, a three-time champion in the Middle Eastern event, was storming into the lead once again after opening rounds of 64 and 67, and with four holes of his second round to play McIlroy knew he needed a strong finish to stay within reach of the German.

The then World Number One produced a timely moment of magic, sweetly striking a nine iron which found the 177-yard pin, bouncing twice before spinning into the cup.

After taking a moment to celebrate with playing partners Rickie Fowler and Matteo Manassero – and delighting the crowd by picking his ball out of the hole – McIlroy finished strongly with a closing birdie to sign for an excellent 66, leaving him two shots behind Kaymer going into the weekend.

“It's my first one ever in competition as a pro, so obviously the beers are on me tonight,” said McIlroy after his round.

“It was a perfect number. It was straight downwind, 177 yards, and I had a nine iron. The 12th hole was playing sort of similar and I hit nine iron there and pitched 174 so I knew it was a pretty good number.

“As soon as it left, it looked like it had a chance. It took a nice little hop to the right.

“It was unexpected. I had been playing well but I had not been putting so well. So that took the putter out of it thankfully and I didn't need to get the putter out on that hole.”

While McIlroy would go on to finish second behind France’s Gary Stal, his performance in Abu Dhabi set the tone for an excellent year where he triumphed four times – including in Dubai in his next start.

Remarkably, McIlroy’s ace was the third in two days in Abu Dhabi, with England’s Tom Lewis and 21-time European Tour winner Miguel Ángel Jiménez also holing out in the desert.

Of the three, Lewis was the only player to be rewarded for his hole-in-one. The Englishman walked away with a brand new Cadillac after acing the seventh, the only hole offering a prize that week.

It is widely believed that McIlroy’s first ace came at the age of nine, and although he has made hole-in-ones during practice rounds, this effort in Abu Dhabi remains the only time he has achieved the feat in an elite tournament setting.