Three golfers, four holes-in-one. What are the odds of what happened at this senior event?
What are the odds? You’ll need to be a maths genius to work it out. Just check out this ace-fest that happened during a remarkable England Golf Seniors Club Championship.
Three golfers, four-holes-in-one in the same competition, two of which came from the same player and on the same hole!
Let’s try and break down what happened at The Club at Meyrick Park in Bournemouth. Austin Okoye, Matt Dooley and Clive Wingfield all hit perfect shots and they didn’t have to wait too long for the celebrations to begin.
Okoye’s came on the first day and his very first hole, when the former professional boxer – now a karate instructor – dunked with a driver on a 220-yard par 3.
It was the first time in the club’s history, dating back to 2006, that someone had written a ‘1’ on the scorecard on that hole.
Considered to be one of the hardest par-3s in the county, the 65-year-old said of his shot: “It’s just the most impossible hole, it’s just remarkable.
“It’s one of those holes I always dreamed of doing it on but never thought it was possible. When it happened, it was a bit of shock.”
Minutes later, 60-year-old Wingfield wielded his 5-iron to devastating effect on the 152-yard 12th. That was closely followed by Dooley’s bomb with a rescue club on the 162-yard 10th.
The 75-year-old said: “You get a buzz when you actually walk up to the hole and see the ball in there. It was quite an incredible feeling.”
It’s said the odds of an amateur golfer making a hole-in-one are around 12,500-1. More than 90 per cent of players will never make one.
Word of the wonderful trio’s feat soon spready back to the clubhouse and Greg Asher, Meyrick Park’s golf operations officer, said: “The members were shocked and questioning what the odds were of this happening, because the club normally only averages around three holes-in-one each year, let alone the same competition. It’s a memory that the players and our club will remember for years to come.”
But it wasn’t over yet. On the second day, déjà vu struck for property dealer Wingfield. He made another hole-in-one. At the same hole, the 12th, and with the same 5-iron.
Even though he’d racked up a nine in the first round, those two aces helped him win the tournament by six shots.
He said: “Two in one competition is just unbelievable but also for there to be four across the competition is amazing.”
James Crampton, England Golf championships director, said: “To have four holes-in-one in a single competition is staggering and for someone to also shoot a hole-in-one in each of their rounds in the same competition is unheard of.
“A huge congratulations to Clive, Austin and Matt for their astonishing achievements. This is why so many people of different ages and abilities love the game. There is that faint-hope of achieving the near-impossible every time you step up to a ball, and when these magical moments happen, they’re ones you’ll cherish for the rest of your life.”
Have you ever heard of an ace fest like this? Let me know your best hole-in-one stories with a tweet.
Steve Carroll
