It was barely caught on camera, but history was made early in the final round at Kapalua.
Taylor Pendrith recorded the Sentry’s first albatross in the tournament’s 27-year history, holing out from 203 yards on the par-5 5th.
“Had a really good number, and was just trying to hit a hard 6-iron and land it kind of front third and let it chase back,” Pendrith said after finishing at 22 under. “As soon as I hit it I knew it was going to be really good. Didn’t expect it to go in, didn’t see it go in, but the fans that were up by the green went crazy, so, yeah, it was a really good bonus.”
THE BIG BIRD! 🦅
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 5, 2025
Taylor Pendrith makes the first ALBATROSS in the 27-year history of @TheSentry.
📺 NBC/Peacock pic.twitter.com/sCIpDbKH6B
The 33-year-old Canadian, in the field by virtue of his victory at last year’s CJ Cup Byron Nelson, started the final round T18, 11 strokes behind 54-hole leader Hideki Matsuyama. Therefore, coverage on NBC hadn’t yet begun; however, one camera on the hole thankfully caught Pendrith’s achievement.
However, the only thing more impressive than that shot was Pendrith revealing after his round how many albatrosses he has made before.
“That’s actually number eight,” he said after a final-round 67. “Which is weird. I’ve got three hole-in-ones and that's number eight albatross. First one in a tournament.”
The double eagle only moved Pendrith seven strokes back of the lead. But even without a victory, the world’s 48th-ranked player will leave Maui with a historic feat.
“It’s been like four years probably since I last made one,” he said, “but they’re obviously super rare and, yeah, it was awesome to see it go in.”
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Taylor Pendrith Ends Sentry's 27-Year Albatross Drought in Final Round at Kapalua.
