There is no rarer bird in the game of golf than an Albatross, and in the 112 years of play at the U.S. Open, only two had ever been carded in the tournament. That was until Sacramento native and Fresno State alumni Nick Watney made the record books after holing out with his second shot on the par-5 17th, marking only the third ever double-eagle in U.S. Open history.
Watney smacked his 5-iron shot from 190 yards out, watched it bounce perfectly on the green and sidewind it's way into the bottom of the cup. Miraculous indeed. Still, Watney is keeping a cool head about it all, knowing it is the U.S. Open after all:
It's the U.S. Open, so under par is really good, and I'm pleased with the round; but at the same time I got to play, get up early and play...tomorrow. So I can't get too high on it.
Here's a great look at Watney's improbable shot, which vaulted him from 3-over at the time to even par, and would eventually finish his day tied for second place with Tiger Woods, Justin Rose, Graeme McDowell and David Toms. Not a bad place to be at all.
Nick Watney (via Dorset4)
As far as the other double-eagles in U.S. Open history, Shaun Micheel completed the feat just two years ago on No. 6 at Pebble Beach, while T.C. Chen did it in 1985 on the second hole at Oakland Hills.
Full U.S. Open leaderboard can be found here.
For more on the 2012 U.S. Open, make sure that you check out the USGA's ongoing coverage as well as SB Nation's dedicated golf hub.