JJ Jakovac makes first hole-in-one in 26-year history of challenge, which raises money for ALS research

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — One of THE PLAYERS Championship’s enduring traditions is the Wednesday caddie competition at the island-green par-3 17th hole, where caddies briefly trade the bag for a club in a closest-to-the-pin challenge.

The annual competition, in its 26th iteration, had never seen a hole-in-one. That changed Wednesday in dramatic fashion.

JJ Jakovac, caddie for Collin Morikawa, holed his tee shot from 131 yards with a pitching wedge early Wednesday afternoon. Jakovac’s ball landed roughly 15 feet past the hole, located on the island green’s front portion, and gently spun back into the cup. It incited a chaotic scene as Jakovac, wearing a black shirt and gray shorts, raced around the tee box with unbridled joy.

Fellow group members and caddies joined in the fun – TOUR rookie Isaiah Salinda looked into a nearby camera and yelled, “Are you not entertained?” Ironically, Salinda aced the par-3 17th in a casual round at TPC Sawgrass last year.

Jakovac isn’t the everyday amateur golfer. He played collegiately at Cal State-Chico from 2000 to 2004 and won two NCAA Division II titles individually. He also made three Korn Ferry Tour starts, most recently in 2008, before dedicating himself to a career on the bag. The game never left him, as indicated by Wednesday’s heroics on one of golf’s most iconic holes.

Sean McDonagh, caddying for Vincent Norrman, won the 2024 caddie competition with a shot to 2 feet, 1 inch. An esteemed collection of past winners includes Ian Finnis in 2017 (caddying for Tommy Fleetwood), Austin Kaiser in 2018 (caddying for Xander Schauffele), and Danny Sahl in 2019 (caddying for Vijay Singh). Jakovac had never previously won the competition, but that changed Wednesday in a big-time way.

THE PLAYERS Championship’s caddie competition started to honor Tom Watson’s longtime caddie and friend, Bruce Edwards, who passed away in 2004 from ALS also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. In 2014, in honor of the 10th anniversary of Edwards’ passing, the PGA TOUR began a tradition of matching any donations the caddies or players make to charities of their choice and to the Bruce Edwards Foundation.