Professional golf makes hitting the ball into the hole seem easy, but it’s not always that simple. However, for Frank Bensel Jr., a 56-year-old club pro from New York, it was a historic day at the U.S. Senior Open. Bensel achieved back-to-back holes-in-one, making him the talk of the tournament.
Bensel’s incredible feat took place at Newport Country Club in Rhode Island. He first aced the par-3 No. 4 hole from 173 yards out with a six-iron. Then, without missing a beat, he repeated the feat on the par-3 No. 5 from 202 yards out, using the same club.
Surprisingly, Bensel admitted he didn’t see the first shot go in but was aware of the crowd’s reaction. The second shot, however, he witnessed all the way into the hole.
Accompanied by his 14-year-old son, Hagen, as his caddie, Bensel added a personal touch to his record-breaking achievement. Despite Hagen’s initial advice for a 7-iron, the six-iron proved to be the perfect club for Bensel’s back-to-back aces.
The odds of hitting two holes-in-one in the same round are astronomical, estimated at 67 million to one by the National Hole-in-One Registry. As for back-to-back aces, the exact odds are challenging to determine, but ChatGPT calculated them at approximately 156.25 million to one.
While Bensel finished the round with a 4-over 74, his incredible accomplishment overshadowed his final score. This moment will undoubtedly be a story he shares for a lifetime, possibly even worthy of inclusion on his future tombstone.
