Back-to-back holes-in-one: U.S. Senior Open golfer achieves ‘out-of-body’ feat
Frank Bensel Jr. makes historic back-to-back holes-in-one at U.S. Senior Open
One minute, Frank Bensel Jr. thought he hit a nice 6-iron. About 15 minutes later, he pulled off perhaps one of the rarest feats in golf history.
Bensel, a 56-year-old teaching pro based out of New York and Florida, made back-to-back holes-in-one in the U.S. Senior Open on Friday, carding two straight 1s on Newport (R.I.) Country Club’s fourth and fifth holes.
According to the United States Golf Association, the two aces are the first consecutive holes-in-one in USGA history.
The first consecutive holes-in-one in USGA history 👏 pic.twitter.com/iLBuM1Fymn
— USGA (@USGA) June 28, 2024
Newport, host of the first U.S. Open in 1895, is a place loaded with history. It also features rare back-to-back par 3s on its front nine, a quirk of a club that dates back to being one of the five founding member clubs of the USGA.
Bensel hit a knock-down 6-iron into the 173-yard fourth hole, originally believing the ball settled on the front of the green. He didn’t know it found the cup until hearing the cheer from some green side spectators.
On the 202-yard fifth, he hit 6-iron again, seeing the ball find the green and roll along. He felt his heart skip a beat.
“I was kidding around, like, okay, now let’s go for another one, and it happened to go in,” Bensel said afterward. “Everybody just couldn’t believe it. We all went nuts.”
Having shot a 5-over 75 in the tournament’s first round Thursday, Bensel needed something incredible to happen in Friday’s second round to have any chance of making the cut. He couldn’t have ever imagined such a turn of events as what occurred, though. He said the thought of back-to-back 1s never crossed his mind during practice rounds.
The two aces were, as Bensel put it, “an out-of-body experience” — one he ended up having trouble coming down from. He bogeyed the next four straight holes and finished with a 4-over 74.
“The second one — I just couldn’t believe it,” Bensel said later. “To even think that that could happen was amazing.”
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
Bensel’s 14-year-old son, Hagen, was alongside him for the moment as his father’s caddie.
Bensel works as a teaching pro at Century Country Club in Purchase, N.Y., and Mirasol Golf Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. He is making his seventh major appearance, having previously played in three PGA Championships, the 2009 U.S. Open and two Senior PGA Championships. He said Friday’s aces were the 13th and 14th of his playing career.
(Photo: David Cannon / Getty Images)
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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