This comedian had the worst break imaginable on Augusta National’s most famous hole

Millions of golfers everywhere dream of that elusive hole in one. Now imagine how they might feel if it came on one of the most famous golf holes in the world?

This almost happened to comedian Bill Engvall. Almost. Instead, it turned into an epic disaster.

Engvall, one of the four members of the wildly popular Blue Collar Comedy Tour, is also a big golf fan. He recently joined GOLF’s Subpar Podcast to chat about his game, his life as a comedian and more. The 64-year-old also shared what he called his “favorite golf story.”

Bill Engvall hits a drive during the second round of the BMW Charity Pro-Am in 2014.
Bill Engvall hits a drive during the second round of the BMW Charity Pro-Am in 2014. Getty Images

Engvall said he was playing Augusta National two weeks after the Masters (he didn’t say what year) with St. Louis Cardinals legend Ozzie Smith. Like any day at Augusta, it was a memorable round. But when they got to the iconic par-3 12th hole it became one he’d truly never forget — albeit not for the right reasons.

“It’s the par-3 over Rae’s Creek, and my caddie says ‘Let’s hit a 6-iron,” Engvall recalls. “And I say OK. And I’m at Augusta. I’m not even thinking about golf really, which sounds weird. But it’s just so beautiful. And I hit this ball and I swear as soon as it left the club he goes, ‘Oh man.’ And I’m like, What? And he goes, ‘That is tracking. That is tracking.’ And I’m watching it, and it is. And it hits on the green, and he says, ‘There it goes! There it goes!’ It hits the pin and rolls 45 feet off down into the creek. [Laughs]

Just like that, a near hole-in-one turned into a water ball.

“That’s how quick the greens were,” Engvall said. “It hit on the green and rolled and hit the pin square and kicked it off. If I would have gotten a hole in one on that hole I would have quit golf.”

You can check out the entire interview with Engvall below.

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Josh Berhow

Golf.com Editor

As GOLF.com’s managing editor, Berhow handles the day-to-day and long-term planning of one of the sport’s most-read news and service websites. He spends most of his days writing, editing, planning and wondering if he’ll ever break 80. Before joining GOLF.com in 2015, he worked at newspapers in Minnesota and Iowa. A graduate of Minnesota State University in Mankato, Minn., he resides in the Twin Cities with his wife and two kids. You can reach him at joshua_berhow@golf.com.