He is the only player in Ryder Cup history to win a match with a hole in one and now he plays on LIV Golf

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It is frightening to think about what the reaction from the galleries will be if an American manages to make a hole in one during the upcoming Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black.

Remarkably, an ace for any of Keegan Bradley‘s men later this month would mark the first time in Ryder Cup history that an American has made a hole in one in the event on home soil.

In fact, the only American to contribute to the six aces at the Ryder Cup is Scott Verplank, with the veteran finding the bottom of the cup with his tee shot in his singles clash with Pádraig Harrington in 2006.

Incredibly, that was the second hole in one that week at The K Club, with the first the previous day proving to be the only one to ever wrap up a match.

The only player to win a Ryder Cup match with a hole in one

The 2006 Ryder Cup proved to be an overwhelming success for almost everyone on Ian Woosnam’s side, with Europe running out 18.5-9.5 winners in County Kildare. Five players won three points or more across the week.

One of those was Paul Casey, with the Englishman going unbeaten across his four matches. He managed to beat Jim Furyk in the singles, but the highlight of his week surely came in the Saturday afternoon foursomes session.

Casey and David Howell were 4 up against Stewart Cink and Zach Johnson as they got to the 213-yard 14th hole.

Casey hit his four iron right towards the flag, pitching it around eight feet short. And despite the soft conditions, the ball had just about enough momentum to drop into the cup and put the European pair on the brink of a 5&4 victory.

While he would be a part of the team which travelled over to Valhalla in 2008, Casey would then have to wait another decade for his fourth Ryder Cup appearance. The 48-year-old – who joined LIV Golf in 2022 – was also involved at Whistling Straits.

Every hole in one in the history of the Ryder Cup

The 2006 matches actually marked the second time that one Ryder Cup has seen two aces. Constantino Rocca and Howard Clark both made ones at Oak Hill in 1995 in what proved to be an emotional win for Europe.

The first hole in one in Ryder Cup history was made by Peter Butler and came at Muirfield in 1973.

He remains the only player to make an ace and end up on the losing side in a match, with Jack Nicklaus and Tom Weiskopf beating Butler and Brian Barnes 1 up. USA would go on to win the event that year after a stunning performance in the Sunday singles.

It is 19 years since the most recent hole in one at the event, making this the second longest gap between aces in the event’s history. So surely, it is time for another name to be added to the list later this month.