A hole-in-one she could not actually see
Brooke Matthews supplied a remarkable moment in Friday's second round of the Maybank Championship at Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club on 30 October 2026. On the par-3 fourth, the American struck a controlled 9-iron that finished in the hole for an ace. Yet Matthews did not have a clear view of the landing area.
In her official post-round interview, she described a measured 128-yard shot playing roughly 132 yards with the uphill adjustment. Spectators near the green saw the finish and reacted before she could confirm what had happened. The LPGA's subsequent report described the shot as coming from about 130 yards; the figures reflect slightly different ways of expressing the same distance.
A response to a disappointing previous hole
The timing was important. Matthews had just made bogey on the par-5 third. The ace on the following par-3 counted as an eagle, immediately changing the mood of a round that had not gone entirely to plan.
She eventually signed for a one-under-par 71. The LPGA lists two birdies, one bogey, one double bogey and that eagle on her card. Together those scores account for the net one stroke under par: −2 from the birdies, +1 from the bogey, +2 from the double bogey and −2 from the eagle. The highlight should not obscure the rest of the round.
Why St. Jude mattered most to Matthews
Matthews was notably measured in assessing the emotion of a second LPGA Tour hole-in-one. She acknowledged that her earlier ace, at the final round of The ANNIKA in 2025, had felt more exciting. What she emphasized after this one was its charitable consequence.
Under the CME Group Cares Challenge — Score 1 for St. Jude, CME Group pledges $20,000 to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital for every hole-in-one recorded on the LPGA Tour. It is a corporate donation, not a personal payment by Matthews. The LPGA said the programme's season total had reached $480,000 following her ace. Matthews thanked CME Group and spoke appreciatively of the work taking place at St. Jude.
The bigger picture for her season
A hole-in-one also arrived at a consequential point in Matthews' season. She entered the Maybank Championship 86th in the Race to the CME Globe standings, while the LPGA says the top 60 and ties after next month's The ANNIKA qualify for the CME Group Tour Championship. Her path into that field remains challenging. A strong finish in Malaysia would matter for her season even beyond the lasting memory of the fourth hole.
Primary source: Brooke Matthews' official post-round interview, ASAP Sports, 30 October 2026. Cross-check: LPGA's official report.
