Tony Finau dislocates his ankle before popping it back in after celebrating hole-in-one

Tony Finau suffered a bizarre injury in the Par 3 contest on the eve of his debut Masters appearance.

The American, ranked No 34 in the world, delighted crowds by hitting a hole in one in the knockabout tournament at Augusta.

Finau sprinted off down the course in celebration but came to a crashing halt when he slipped and seemed to dislocate his left ankle.

Finau ran at full speed before tripping over on his left ankle as the fans celebrated around him

Finau, after popping his ankle back in place, hopped back to the seventh hole at Augusta

The 27-year-old popped it back into place, limped off, and waved to the crowd.

Despite the painful-looking fall, he was able to play on and seems likely to take part in the first round on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Ryder Cup captain Thomas Bjorn is backing Europe’s top players to make it three Masters wins in a row. The Dane is revelling in the victories for Paul Casey, Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter over the past month on the PGA Tour, and believes more is to come.

Finau hugs his wife Alayna and children following the bizarre incident at Augusta National

‘I have a good feeling and not just because of the top players we know all about,’ said Bjorn. ‘I have a good feeling, too, about some of the players who like to go into tournaments under the radar, like Tommy Fleetwood and Alex Noren.’ 

Danny Willett ended a 17-year European drought at the Masters with his win in 2016, followed by Sergio Garcia last year. As for the UK trio of recent tour winners, Bjorn said: ‘I’m thrilled for Paul and Rory.

‘As for Poults, it was a bit special in a sporting sense, never mind golf. Regarding the Ryder Cup, I’ve just said to him, “Go and enjoy what you’ve earned and make the team by right. Don’t rely on being a pick”, although that’s not to say I wouldn’t pick him if it came to it.’       

Finau raises his right hand in celebration as the crowd on the seventh went wild