One of the most miraculous impressive feats one can accomplish in sports is hitting a hole-in-one, that is to say, not many can claim they have ever done this. Frank Bensel Jr., a 56-year-old golfer from Jupiter, Florida, not only did this once, but he did it twice in a row during Friday's second round at the U.S. Senior Open.
BACK-TO-BACK ACES?! 🤯🎯
Frank Bensel Jr. did THAT at the U.S. Senior Open. pic.twitter.com/l9ra1WLtTg
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) June 28, 2024
On the fourth hole at the Newport Country Club in Rhode Island, Bensel hit a perfect 173-yard shot. If one miracle wasn't enough, he then did the same thing on the fifth hole, hitting a 202-yard ace.
What are the odds of two holes-in-one in a row!? 😱 pic.twitter.com/mNiPhDRKv8
— USGA (@USGA) June 28, 2024
Fans couldn't believe it, as this is the first and probably only time (outside of a movie) that this will be documented with video evidence on a golf course.
Before teeing off on the fourth hole, Bensel's 14-year-old son, Hagen, who is also his caddie, recommended a 7-iron. However, Bensel thought he should use the 6-iron instead, and he evidently made the right decision, as the club he chose whacked the ball into the hole.
The perfect shot was highlighted by the ball hitting the front of the green, before hopping a couple times and rolling right into the cup.
"I tried to calm him down. Just bring him back, you know?" his son Hagen said referring to his first hole-in-one.
Then on the fifth tee, Bensel once again chose the 6-iron as his club of choice, before hitting the 200+ yard second consecutive perfect shot.
"He landed it perfectly. And he was like, 'How about another one?' while it was going down," Hagen stated.
After hitting the second one, Bensel was in shock himself, calling it "an out-of-body experience."
"I was kidding around, like, okay, now let's go for another one, and it happened to go in," Bensel said when being interviewed after the round. "Everybody just couldn't believe it. We all went nuts."
"I've played a lot of golf in my life, and just to see a hole-in-one in a tournament is pretty rare," he said after hitting the 13th and 14th aces of his career. "The first one was great, that got me under par for the day. And then the second one, I just couldn't believe it. To even think that that could happen was amazing."
Frank Bensel Jr made history at the U.S. Senior Open as he made back-to-back holes-in-one at Newport Country Club.
🎥 This is the moment Frank signed the hole cutter and Golf Course Superintendent, Chris Coen presented him with flags from the 4th and 5th greens. #USSeniorOpen pic.twitter.com/eX44uQzQQQ
— Turfgrass® (@TurfgrassC) June 28, 2024
"After these two holes-in-ones, I just didn't even know," said Bensel, who is the head professional at Century Country Club and teaches golf there in the summers.
