Thongchai Jaidee gave fans arriving early a treat with the first hole in one of the week as the third round of the 110th US Open Championship got under way in California.
Birdies had been hard to come by for the tournament tailenders at Pebble Beach on another cool, overcast morning and Jaidee had been no exception until he aced the 195 yard par three fifth hole with an eight iron.
Starting at seven over par, the Thai golfer had bogeyed the second hole and double-bogeyed the fourth before his ace at the next, the seventh recorded in the five US Open Championships held at Pebble Beach and the first at that hole since Bill Brodell holed out from 180 yards in the 1982 second round.
Jaidee carried that momentum forward and birdied the sixth but returned to eight over for the tournament with a bogey at the eighth.
American Ty Tryon was the first to tee off at Pebble Beach at 9am local time as the back of the field attempted to make up ground from seven over par, ten strokes behind 36 hole leader Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland.
McDowell led by two strokes at three under from Masters Tournament champion Phil Mickelson, two-time US Open Championship winner Ernie Els, Japanese teenager Ryo Ishikawa and American big-hitter Dustin Johnson.
Johnson, a winner on the course in February when he successfully defended his AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am title, was set to play with McDowell in the final pairing of the day at 3:50pm local time, with Els and 18 year old Ishikawa in the penultimate group.
Mickelson was paired with Germany's Alex Cejka, one of four players on level par after 36 holes, including England's Paul Casey.
American veterans Kenny Perry and Davis Love III were the biggest movers amongst the back markers.
Perry, 49, was four under for his round after seven holes to advance to three over par, while Love, 46, was on the same mark after six holes having eagled the par-four fourth by sinking a 14 foot putt.
