Fresh from his victory at last month’s Costa Navarino Legends Tour Trophy, Simon Griffiths continued his superb run of form by carding a two-under-par 68 to sit tied third after the opening round of the U.S. Senior Open Championship at Scioto Country Club, with a spectacular hole-in-one on the 17th providing one of the moments of the day.

The Englishman, who captured the Costa Navarino Legends Tour Trophy in Greece just three weeks ago, produced the first ace ever recorded during a U.S. Senior Open at Scioto Country Club when his gap wedge at the 134-yard par-three 17th pitched on the green and spun directly into the hole. It was the 25th known hole-in-one in U.S. Senior Open history.

Griffiths, who finished tied 50th on his U.S. Senior Open debut last year, admitted he was beginning to feel the effects of the oppressive Ohio heat after three consecutive bogeys before stepping onto the 17th tee.

“I was trying to literally make contact with the ball,” said Griffiths. “When I hit it, I thought, well, that looks good. That’s on the green. To go in was just a bonus.”

The ace sparked a memorable finish, with Griffiths adding a birdie at the closing hole to move into a share of third place, just one shot behind co-leaders Stewart Cink and Charlie Wi, who both opened with rounds of three-under-par 67.

Griffiths was also full of praise for the challenge presented by the historic Donald Ross layout.

“The course is absolutely fantastic. The greens are immaculate. The fairways are immaculate. If you can drive it in play, you can give yourself some chances out here. Yeah, it’s a very fair setup.”

There was further encouragement for the Staysure Legends Tour contingent, with Ryder Cup star Jamie Donaldson carding a one-under-par 69 to sit tied sixth alongside defending champion Pádraig Harrington, Miguel Ángel Jiménez, Alex Cejka, Richard Green, Greg Chalmers and several other leading contenders.

Meanwhile, 2025 Staysure Legends Tour Rookie of the Year Darren Fichardt battled the sweltering conditions to post an opening level-par 70 and remain firmly in contention heading into Friday’s second round.

With temperatures climbing into the mid-90s and heat indexes reaching triple figures, scoring was at a premium around Scioto Country Club, which played to a first-round average of 74.1. Yet the quality and resilience of the Staysure Legends Tour membership was on full display as several of its stars positioned themselves prominently on one of senior golf’s biggest stages.

Round two of the U.S. Senior Open gets underway on Friday, with Griffiths aiming to build on a remarkable opening day.

Watch Simon’s hole-in-one HERE.

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