Golf

Golfer makes back-to-back holes-in-one at the US Senior Open

Frank Bensel jnr achieved feat that is so rare it is a several million to one chance to happen

Frank Bensel jnr. Photograph: PGA of America
Frank Bensel jnr. Photograph: PGA of America
David Gorman
Fri Jun 28 2024 - 19:26

American golfer Frank Bensel jnr made history at the US Senior Open as he made back-to-back holes-in-one at Newport Country Club.

Bensel aced the 184-yard fourth hole and then followed it up with another hole-in-one on the 203-yard fifth. In a somewhat unusual configuration for modern golf courses, both holes were par-3.

According to the US National Hole in One registry, the odds of a tour player making an ace are 3,000 to one, while the odds of any player making two holes-in-one is 67 million to one.

Bensel is a 56-year-old from Jupiter, Florida. He has played in six PGA Tour events and never made a cut.

READ MORE

“I’ve played a lot of golf in my life and just to see a hole-in-one in a tournament is pretty rare,” Bensel said after following his consecutive aces with four straight bogeys and carding three more on the back nine in a round of 74.

“The first one was great, so that got me under par for the day. And then the second one, I just couldn’t believe it. To even think that that could happen was amazing.

“Hit the ball kind of in the right place and then it just started rolling. I was kidding around and I was like, ‘Okay, now let’s go for another one’, and it happened to go in. Everybody just couldn’t believe it. We all went nuts.

“I’ve got a lot of family and friends here and they were all going crazy, and the guys I played with, same thing, they couldn’t believe it. It was amazing.

“This will be remembered obviously forever and ever. After these two holes-in-one, I just didn’t even know… it was like an out-of-body experience. I was more excited than I wanted to be.”

David Gorman

David Gorman

David Gorman is a sports journalist with The Irish Times