As a caddie, you can be sure JJ Jakovac had a pretty good idea as to the yardage and club to be used while standing on the tee box at the famed par-3 “Island Green” hole at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, Florida, on Wednesday.
But it’s not often that it’s the caddie — and not the professional — making the hole-in-one in front of a raucous crowd.
But Jakovac, who is the caddie for world No. 4 Collin Morikawa, did just that. Using a pitching wedge from 131 yards, his ball landed on the downslope of the green and rolled back into the hole for a memorable ace.
“It had to ride the wind to get there,” Jakovac said, according to Golfweek. “Right as it came off, I was like, that’s a perfect line if it lands the right distance. It started spinning, and I was like, ‘This has a heckuva chance.'”
🚨 CADDIE ACE ON 17!!! 🚨
JJ Jakovac, @Collin_Morikawa‘s looper makes a hole-in-one on the Island Green! pic.twitter.com/I4fRVhZzS5
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 12, 2025
It all happened as part of the annual “Caddie Contest,” which has been held on the Wednesday before the Players Championship since 2000 and allows caddies to take a shot at the famed hole. It’s the first time in the history of the contest that a caddie has made a hole-in-one, according to The Florida-Times Union.
In addition to Morikawa, the other players in the group — Jason Day, Min Woo Lee and Isaiah Salinda — and their caddies chased down Jakovac, who was running around in celebration after the ball went in the hole.
“Any hole-in-one is special,” Morikawa said, according to Golfweek. “A hole-in-one on 17 against every other caddie …”
Jakovac is a two-time Division II national champion at Chico State and a two-time national player of the year.
The winner of the closest-to-the-pin contest receives an undisclosed prize fund consisting of donations made by the professionals in the field, a $10,000 sponsor award, a VIP parking space for the rest of the week, an engraved money clip and their name on a plaque inside the Tunnel of Champions.
