US Senior Open star makes hole-in-one two holes in a row to seal place in history
Frank Bensel Jr has etched his name into golfing history after the 56-year-old achieved not one, but two holes-in-one in consecutive holes during the second round of the US Senior Open.
Bensel Jr accomplished this feat in the early stages of round two, first scoring a hole-in-one at the 184-yard par-three fourth, before adding another ace from 203 yards at the par-three fifth. Bensel - who is the long-standing head professional at Century Country Club - had experienced a challenging start to his week in round one.
The seasoned American golfer began his week at Newport Country Club in Rhode Island with a five-over-par 75, making six bogeys on Thursday with just a single birdie at the par-four 12th.
Related articles LIV Golf rebel who took aim at Tiger Woods after jumping ship now fears 2025 axe Lee Westwood hits back with defiant two-word reply to LIV Golf question mark function loadOvpScript(){let el=document.createElement('script');el.setAttribute('src','https://live.primis.tech/live/liveView.php?s=114291&playerApiId=v114291');document.getElementById('ovp-primis').appendChild(el)} window.top.addEventListener('primisPlayerInit',e=>{try{if(e.detail&&e.detail.playerApiId==="v114291"){if(window.document.getElementsByClassName('jwplayer')[0]){e.detail.float('disable')}}}catch(e){}});window.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded',()=>{setTimeout(()=>{if(typeof flagTcfLoaded!=='undefined'&&flagTcfLoaded===!0){loadOvpScript() ExpressApp.Log('[Load] OVP flagTcfLoaded',new Date())}else{document.addEventListener("tcfLoaded",()=>{loadOvpScript() ExpressApp.Log('[Load] OVP tcfLoaded',new Date())})}},1500)})It appeared as if his week was set to continue in the same vein in round two, playing his opening three holes in one-over due to a bogey at the second hole. However, his tournament took a turn for the better at the first of the par-threes at the fourth, after he added a hole-in-one to his scorecard.
Incredibly, he replicated his heroics a hole later with a hole-out from the fifth tee. The extraordinary achievement was confirmed by the USGA on social media shortly afterwards, who shared a clip of a modest Bensel Jr heading over to the hole following his second ace to retrieve his lucky ball.
The American is the first player to make back-to-back aces in professional competition since Englishman John Hudson in 1971, who achieved the same feat in the European Tour's Martini International at Royal Norwich.
WHAT?! ??????
Frank Bensel, Jr. just made back-to-back aces in the U.S. Senior Open! pic.twitter.com/uD92juLJJ3
Bensel Jr is rubbing shoulders with some of golf's biggest names this week, including past major winners Darren Clarke, Bernhard Langer, Padraig Harrington, and Jim Furyk. Also in the field are two players from the LIV Golf circuit.
Former world No. 1 Lee Westwood is making his debut in a senior major after turning 50 last year.
He is joined by fellow breakaway league star Richard Bland, who recently won his Senior PGA Championship at Harbor Shores Golf Club.
The Brit made a strong impression in his first senior major appearance, beating Australian rivals Richard Green and Greg Chalmers to win the championship by three shots. He started his week in Newport with a solid two-under 68, putting him five shots behind the early leaders after 18 holes.
Trending window.topArticlesScript="https://cdn.images.express.co.uk/js/dist/article-top-articles20240625.min.js"Westwood made a remarkable debut as a senior major player. The ex-PGA Tour star chalked up a hard-fought four-under 66 on the opening day, courtesy of an eagle and four birdies, despite two bogeys.
He is three shots behind the leaders as he heads into his second round of 18 holes.
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Related articles Bryson DeChambeau makes Donald Trump and Joe Biden golf offer after debate Lee Westwood still hasn’t paid £850,000 fine after making LIV Golf decisionUS Senior Open star makes hole-in-one two holes in a row to seal place in history
US Senior Open star makes hole-in-one two holes in a row to seal place in history
US Senior Open star makes hole-in-one two holes in a row to seal place in history
US Senior Open star makes hole-in-one two holes in a row to seal place in history
US Senior Open star makes hole-in-one two holes in a row to seal place in history
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