Watch: Saunders's near-ace at the par-3 17th

If there was ever a time and place for an ace ...

Playing the par-3 17th hole at Bay Hill on Thursday, Arnold Palmer's grandson Sam Saunders very nearly made a hole-in-one from from 221 yards when his ball came crashing down on the flag stick.

"You must play boldly to win" - Arnold Palmer

Sam Saunders puts his grandfather's words in play pic.twitter.com/wTxnhEe1cw

— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) March 16, 2017Unfortunately, Saunders would miss the 10-foot putt for birdie and make a watery double bogey at the home hole for a round of 2-over 74.