VIDEO: SMU's Christian Clark scores his first ace at the iconic 16th at Cypress Point
11/7/2022 | by Golfweek
Watch 19-year-old freshman register first hole-in-one (the celebration is epic) on one of the most famous par-3's in all of golf
There are hole-in-ones and then there is making a hole-in-one at one of the great cathedrals for golf.
It doesn’t get much better than what SMU freshman golfer Christian Clark accomplished on Friday, making an ace at the iconic 233-yard par-3 16th hole at Cypress Point in Pebble Beach, Calif.
“Is it the holy grail of 1’s?” tweeted golf broadcaster Gary Williams.
No less than NFL legend Tom Brady labeled it “amazing!” in a comment on Instagram.
Indeed, it was.
The only thing better than a hole-in-one at 16 at Cypress? Having video of said ace.
It doesn’t look as if Clark, a Dallas resident whose SMU team played in the Cal-Poly Invitational in Carmel, California this week, ever considered bailing out left and boldly took a fairway wood and dead aim over the chasm and at the green.
“Go in,” someone said, shortly before it did just that, and Clark and everyone on the tee lost their minds. (I love how Clark is jumping up and down, his mind is blown. Note: there are a few F-bombs dropped in the video. Earmuffs, kids!).
This is how famed sports writer George Plimpton once described the tee shot at 16: “The golfer stands on a small elevated tee facing the Pacific Ocean that boils in below on the rocks, its swells laced with long strands of kelp. Occasionally, a sea lion can be seen lolling about, turning lazily, a flipper up, like a log in a slow current. It would be a clear shot to the horizon if it weren’t for a promontory that hooks around from the golfer’s left.”
Plimpton noted that at the1952 Crosby the average score of the entire field on the hole was five, an average bolstered by Lawson Little getting a 14 and Henry Ransom an 11. Ben Hogan got a seven. A year later, Porky Oliver famously made a 16 at the 16th.
But not, young Christian Clark of SMU. He made a one at one of the signature holes in golf for his first hole-in-one. An ace at No. 7 at nearby Pebble, the 12th at Augusta National, the 17th at TPC Sawgrass are also in the conversation for signatures holes to make an ace. But Clark’s arguably is as good as it gets, and so cool to have it and the celebration that followed on video for posterity. As one of the people on the tee put it, “That’s awesome.”
by Alan Schupak, Golfweek
It doesn’t get much better than what SMU freshman golfer Christian Clark accomplished on Friday, making an ace at the iconic 233-yard par-3 16th hole at Cypress Point in Pebble Beach, Calif.
No less than NFL legend Tom Brady labeled it “amazing!” in a comment on Instagram.
Indeed, it was.
The only thing better than a hole-in-one at 16 at Cypress? Having video of said ace.
You can hear the waves crashing against the jutted Pacific coastline below, which must be drowning out the sound of Clark’s heart pumping with anticipation.Cypress hole 16 hole in one. @espn @pxg @GolfDigest @SMUGolfM @ziregolf pic.twitter.com/kVSSMydzYL
— christian clark (@Cclarkgolf22) November 3, 2022
It doesn’t look as if Clark, a Dallas resident whose SMU team played in the Cal-Poly Invitational in Carmel, California this week, ever considered bailing out left and boldly took a fairway wood and dead aim over the chasm and at the green.
“Go in,” someone said, shortly before it did just that, and Clark and everyone on the tee lost their minds. (I love how Clark is jumping up and down, his mind is blown. Note: there are a few F-bombs dropped in the video. Earmuffs, kids!).
This is how famed sports writer George Plimpton once described the tee shot at 16: “The golfer stands on a small elevated tee facing the Pacific Ocean that boils in below on the rocks, its swells laced with long strands of kelp. Occasionally, a sea lion can be seen lolling about, turning lazily, a flipper up, like a log in a slow current. It would be a clear shot to the horizon if it weren’t for a promontory that hooks around from the golfer’s left.”
Plimpton noted that at the1952 Crosby the average score of the entire field on the hole was five, an average bolstered by Lawson Little getting a 14 and Henry Ransom an 11. Ben Hogan got a seven. A year later, Porky Oliver famously made a 16 at the 16th.
But not, young Christian Clark of SMU. He made a one at one of the signature holes in golf for his first hole-in-one. An ace at No. 7 at nearby Pebble, the 12th at Augusta National, the 17th at TPC Sawgrass are also in the conversation for signatures holes to make an ace. But Clark’s arguably is as good as it gets, and so cool to have it and the celebration that followed on video for posterity. As one of the people on the tee put it, “That’s awesome.”
by Alan Schupak, Golfweek
Most Popular Articles
2025 PGA TOUR Q-School Guide: Sites, Scores, and Who Advanced
Dec 5, 2025Second Stage is complete and Final Stage awaits at Sawgrass — follow every Q-School leaderboard and the players still chasing
2025 LPGA TOUR Q-Series: Final Qualifying Stage LIVE SCORING
Dec 8, 2025Full 2025 LPGA Q-School (Q-Series) schedule, results, and leaderboard updates
Australian Open at Royal Melbourne: Preview, amateur bios, and how to watch
Nov 30, 2025Rory McIlroy headlines one of the championship's top fields in years - at least four amateurs will have their chance at glory
Luke Ringkamp Cruises to Rolex Tournament of Champions Title at TPC San Antonio
Nov 26, 2025One week after committing to Pepperdine, Luke Ringkamp won the Rolex Tournament of Champions by nine shots.
Charlie Woods’ 2025 Breakout Has Junior Golf Watching — and College Coaches Waiting
Nov 24, 2025A 2025 breakout — AJGA winner, Rolex All-American, state champ — has made the top 2027 recruit still on the board.Loading latest news...