Orlando, Florida, United States: Jazz Janewattananond had a day to remember at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard at Bay Hill Club and Lodge on Saturday.
The 25-year-old Thai, who is playing on a tournament exemption, sank his career first hole-in-one on the PGA Tour at the par-three 14th en route to a three-under 69 which moved him into tied seventh place, four shots behind Lee Westwood, who leads on 11-under 205.
A day after he carded a 65 to improve from an opening 75, Jazz made three other birdies against two bogeys, although he missed 50 per cent of fairways and greens in regulation. The shot that counted most was a beautifully flighted six-iron which took four little bounces on the green before rolling into the hole, much to the delight of a small crowd gathered around the green.
“Good call, good club,” said Jazz, whose effort meant that Mastercard would donate US$200,000 to the Arnold & Winnie Palmer Foundation.
“I was a member here for four months during Covid last year and I didn’t have one hole-in-one. So it’s good to do it in a tournament and it’s very special to have Mastercard donating US$200,000 to Arnie’s Foundation.
“I was in between a hard seven and a soft six (iron). My caddie was nudging me into the soft six … and the rest is history. The round was very choppy at the end and choppy at the start as well. The middle was pretty good. Overall, pretty happy as it was tough conditions.”
His scrambling saved him on a few occasions which now gives him a shot at an unlikely win after starting with an error-strewn three-over par round. On Saturday, he made a 26-foot birdie on 16, rolled in a putt of 22 feet to save par on 17 and got up and down from the bunker four times to outscore playing partner Max Homa, who won The Genesis Invitational recently, by three shots.
“It’s great because I know Roy (Saunders, VP of Bay Hill) personally and he’s the one who gave me the invite to play here. It’s good to be able to give back to that,” said Jazz, a former Asia Pacific Amateur Championship participant who is now bidding to become the first Thai to win on the PGA Tour.
Jazz spent nearly six months in the US last year after the Covid-19 pandemic shut down sports leagues and international borders around the world, and stayed over an extended period with two-time PGA Tour winner Daniel Chopra, who lives in Orlando and is a Bay Hill member. He is staying with Chopra and family again this week.
“There’s home course knowledge that helps here, for sure. I must have played over 100 rounds in shootouts like they have every day with the members. Just learning the culture here as well,” said Jazz.
“When the Players got cancelled after round one last year, Thailand’s border was closed so I didn’t have anywhere to go. I called my friend Daniel, whom I’m staying with this week, asking if I could stay with him for a few days … and it turned into a few months.”
