Frank Bensel Jr. makes back-to-back aces during the second round of the U.S. Senior Open. | USGA Twitter
The impossible happened on Friday at the U.S. Senior Open as Frank Bensel Jr. made back-to-back aces at Newport Country Club.
The U.S. Senior Open is at Newport Country Club, and something truly historic happened during the second round on Friday morning. It is such a rare accomplishment to record a hole-in-one, much less two in a round.
For Frank Bensel Jr., though, he made back-to-back holes-in-one during the second round of the U.S. Senior Open.
The first ace came at 184-yard par-3 4th. On the 203-yard par-3 5th, his tee shot also found the bottom of the cup.
Consecutive aces have been made before, even supposedly on par-4s, but to do it in competition is extremely rare.
He may have done the impossible, but his round derailed shortly afterward, which could have been expected. Bensel made four straight bogeys following those two aces. While it is incredible to see him make back-to-back aces, it may be the only bright moment of his round.
Four straight bogeys would upset a player on a typical day, but two aces will likely trump anything that happens the rest of the round.
The odds of making two aces in a single 18 holes is 67 million to 1, per the PGA of America, and that is not for a competitive round of golf.
Bensel’s bar tab at Newport Country Club will have to be steep with two aces to celebrate.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
