This golfer’s 67-million-to-one shot needs to be seen to be believed
How many of you are still waiting to hit a hole-in-one? Well, try not to go too green over John Wilson’s miracle at Cottrell Park.
For he had not one, but two aces, and they came in the SAME round at the Cardiff course – a feat that’s been estimated at around a 67-million-to-one chance.
Let’s put that in perspective. You are 54 times more likely to be hit by lightning than to find the cup with a single shot twice in the same 18 holes.
But Wilson, playing off a handicap of 18.6 on the Button Gwinnet Course at the St Nicholas venue, did just that and it was the perfect early present ahead of his 69th birthday.
He used an 8-iron to conquer the 143-yard 2nd hole and then a 7-iron to find the target on the 162-yard 16th.
Having recently recovered from mouth cancer, and with two new hips, Wilson said his phenomenal success was down to his late brother: “Having a break from golf over Covid, I was excited to rejoin Cottrell Park, and get my golf back swinging. My brother, Terry, who passed away two years ago, was mine and my son’s role model to start golfing in the first place.
“After achieving my first ever hole-in-one on the 2nd hole, I was ready to walk off and celebrate. I knew my brother was looking down and encouraging me to play on, so I had a gut feeling that I was going to get another one that day.
“I told my playing partners, Kristian, and Justin I was going to get another hole-in-one on the 16th, and they just laughed.
“As we walked up to the 16th tee, I shot last. As soon as I hit off the tee, I knew straight away it was going in. Walking up to the green, and seeing the ball in the hole, was the greatest feeling in the world, and I was very overwhelmed with the cheering and celebrating from the golfers around us.
“Once we got back into the clubhouse, and word had spread, I celebrated with a couple of beers, and brought a bottle of whisky to toast to my brother, who made this happen. It’s a moment in my life I will never forget.”
Wilson’s feat is not completely unprecedented with Malton & Norton’s Bob Seager hitting two aces – on the 2nd and 17th holes – at the Yorkshire course in June. Last year, 11-year-old Arizonan Jake Martinez did it at the 5th and 12th while playing in the US Kids Palm Springs Open.
And, back in 2015, PGA Tour professional Brian Harman also managed the feat at the 3rd and 14th holes during the final round of The Barclays – making him only the third player in Tour history to record two holes-in-one after Bill Whedon in 1955 and Yusaku Miyazato 50 years later.
Subscribe to NCG
Steve Carroll
A journalist for 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long. A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A's prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.
Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men's Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.
A part of NCG's Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He currently floats at around 11.
Steve plays at Close House, in Newcastle, and York GC, where he is a member of the club's matches and competitions committee and referees the annual 36-hole scratch York Rose Bowl.
Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NTCJ exams at Darlington College of Technology.
What's in Steve's bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; TaylorMade Stealth 2 irons; TaylorMade Hi-Toe, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.
