Golf commentator Smylie Kaufman was amazed by one shot Aaron Rai played during the final round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club.
Australian Cameron Davis was victorious in Michigan, finishing one shot clear of a four-way tie for second place.
Akshay Bhatia was the player left heartbroken on the 72nd hole after missing a short putt to force a play-off. During his post-round press conference, the left-handed American did question the pace of the greens.
Rai’s wait for his first PGA Tour win continues after he carded a disappointing level par round on Sunday.
Despite missing out, the 29-year-old produced an eye-catching shot during his final round, which Kaufman loved.
Smylie Kaufman loves Aaron Rai’s driver off the deck
- READ MORE: Smylie Kaufman reveals the missing ingredient stopping Cameron Young from winning on the PGA Tour
On the 14th hole, Rai opted to take a driver off the deck to reach the green, which was 283 yards away and into the wind.
A play which Kaufman loved on the latest edition of the Smylie show.
“It was sick. It was awesome. For someone who is a driver off-the-deck connoisseur, it is always the flavour of the month for me whenever I can,” said Kaufman.
“A lot of the time now, as much as I’ve struggled with the swing over the last couple of years, I’ll just throw the golf ball on the ground on the tee because it’s kind of high operative for me. I have to wait on it and let the club square up, and I hit it as straight as I can with that club.”
Kaufman went on to highlight the difficulty of the shot, particularly when trying to turn the ball over.
“But I wouldn’t pull it if I have to turn it over that much because that brings in the chunk,” he added. “For anybody that’s ever hit the driver off the deck, If you try to turn something over with it, the chunk is in play.
“His shot [Rai] that he hit, I don’t know what the number was, was somewhere in the 270-290 range and skirts it around that little pond. It was an unbelievable shot. To pull off the shot was sick.”
Famous driver off the deck shots
Given the situation during the last round at Detroit Golf Club, it’s understandable as to why Rai opted to use his driver. It’s a high-risk shot, but it was one he had to take.
Over the years, there have been some famous plays with the driver from the turf, including one back in 2004.
Arnold Palmer, competing in the 2004 Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill, decided to take a driver off the deck on the 18th hole.
The seven-time major winner ran his ball up to the green and gave the crowd something to cheer.
Si Woo Kim is a modern-day pro who is also known for regularly using his driver off the deck. The Korean has even been seen taking his big stick from off the cart path, a play that would strike fear into most golfers around the world.
Receive exclusive golf news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
