‘Hey, buddy, come with me’: Pro’s hole in one comes with a surprise

Matt Kuchar on Friday at the 5th hole at Detroit Golf Club demonstrated not only skill but also a kind heart. His hole-in-one on the 163-yard, par-3 5th hole marked the beginning of an unusual story that may have gained him a new lifelong fan in one young spectator.

The hole-in-one itself occurred during the second round of the Rocket Classic. Kuchar, using a 9-iron, struck a shot that, in his words, turned out "perfectly." The ball landed about 30 feet short of the hole, bounced a few times, and after a final rotation, rolled into the cup. However, the player himself didn't see it – he had already picked up his tee and was walking off the tee box when he heard the cheers of the spectators.

"If I hit a full 9-iron and put a little draw on it, which came out perfectly, I thought it would be a good shot," Kuchar said. "It was tracking very nicely and it looked like the ball stopped from my perspective. It was hard to tell a little bit of the depth. It looked like it stopped and then some of the volunteers up by the camera tower, I guess, clapped and cheered really loudly as it disappeared. I had stopped watching, was grabbing the tee out of the ground, and, sure enough, hear the big kind of roar from the guys behind the green.

"Looked up and there was no more golf ball, so that was a great feeling."

A short while later, 7-year-old Casimer Daniewski likely felt the same. He was with his parents to the left of the hole when Kuchar motioned for the boy to join him on his walk to the green.

"I said, ‘Hey, buddy, come with me,’" Kuchar said. Daniewski followed his invitation. They walked to the hole, and with Kuchar bent over it, the boy retrieved the ball. He handed it back to Kuchar, who then signed it for him.

Analyst Arron Oberholser on the Golf Channel broadcast commented: "That’s fantastic. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before. No, I definitely haven’t seen it. That is awesome. Good on Kuch." Announcer George Savaricas added: "Memory will last a lifetime. Gets the autograph and gets the hole in one ball."

When asked about his seven PGA Tour holes-in-one, Kuchar had never before invited a fan to walk with him. "First time I ever had somebody come inside the ropes," Kuchar said. "It was fun for me, just anytime you get a chance to make a kid’s day like that. And I figured the group would be pretty understanding of that sort of kid joining me up on the green."

Why did he do it? "I saw a little boy that was kind of the right age where you know they’re so excited to be out here, just very impressionable," Kuchar explained. "One of those things where it’s easy to make their day. I think anytime you get to make a kid’s day, it makes your day… He was a sweetheart of a little boy and he was pretty excited to get the golf ball. Certainly was something fun for me to be able to do as well to see him so excited."

A video of the moment, posted by Golf Channel, quickly gained popularity on social media with the caption "WHOLESOME-IN-ONE 🥹👏".

Afterward, Daniewski returned to his parents by the rope line, and reporters saw the family following Kuchar’s group. Tony Paul of the Detroit News, whose complete story can be read here, spoke with the Daniewski family and wrote that Kuchar later added additional details about the hole-in-one to the ball and posed for photos.

"We told him, ‘You’re never going to have a sporting experience like this ever again,’" Daniewski’s dad, also named Casimer Daniewski, told the Detroit News. After Kuchar finished his round, a reporter told the 26-year pro that the younger Daniewski "was living and breathing with every putt" that Kuchar was hitting for the rest of the round.

"Yeah, that’s cool," Kuchar replied. "I’m guessing he’ll be a fan of the game of golf and hopefully a fan of Matt Kuchar’s for a while."