The Englishman Dale Whitnell made two holes-in-one during a once-in-a-lifetime round on day two of the South African Open. The 36-year-old, whose DP World Tour breakthrough came in the 2023 Scandinavian Mixed, aced the 179-yard 2nd in soft, calm conditions at the Durban Country Club and then repeated the feat at the 149-yard 12th. It is estimated the odds of making two holes-in-one in the same round are 67 million to one.
At one stage Whitnell, who immediately followed his first ace with an eagle, needed birdies at his final three holes to make a 59 but that quest fell apart after flying the 16th green. As he attempted to chip in for birdie from an awkward side-hill lie, the clubhead slid completely under the ball and moved it only a couple of inches and he took another three shots to get up and down for a double-bogey six. He signed for a nine-under 63, having shot a level par in the first round.
Although the odds of double aces are high, there have been a number of instances of them occurring. Another Englishman, John Hudson, registered two at the European Tour’s Martini International at Royal Norwich in 1971. The American Brian Harman, who would go on to become Open champion in 2023, became the third man to achieve the feat on the PGA Tour with two aces at the Barclays in 2015, while last year Frank Bensel Jr made back-to-back holes-in-one during the second round of the US Senior Open in Rhode Island.
There was a 59 on Thursday, though, when Jake Knapp fell just short of making PGA Tour history in the opening round of the Cognizant Classic at Palm Beach Gardens. The 30-year-old American, who began the day with five straight birdies, finished one shot adrift of Jim Furyk’s record of 58 after tapping in for birdie on the par-five final hole having had a 19-foot eagle putt for a 58 that skirted wide. There have now been 15 sub-60 rounds shot in Tour history, with 14 having been 59s.
