Each and every golfer dreams of achieving it. Drew Rudolf, 16, finally experienced it, twice in the span of 20 minutes.
Rudolf accomplished the nearly unthinkable on Friday at Butte des Morts Country Club in Appleton, Wisconsin, by recording two holes-in-one within a span of three holes. What are the chances of having two aces in one round? The National Hole in One Registry estimates the probability to be about one in 67 million.
“After the first one he just sent me a text and I was like, ‘Wow, that’s great, that’s awesome,’” Drew’s father, Mike, said, per Mike Sherry of The Post-Crescent. “He’s a gifted golfer, so he hits shots close a lot. So not that it was shocking, but surprising. … He called me 20 minutes later and he said, ‘Guess what happened?’ And I said, ‘Don’t even tell me you had another hole-in-one on 7.’ And he said, ‘Yeah.’ You could hear the excitement in his voice.”
Rudolf’s first ace came on the 167-yard fifth hole using an 8-iron. He used a 6-iron on the 196-yard seventh hole, and he says he was so stunned he didn’t know how to react.
“When the second one went in, we were just shocked. We didn’t believe it that they both went in,” Drew said. “I just dropped my club and put my hands on my head.”
Most golfers, both recreational and competitive, play the game their entire lives without ever enjoying the joy of even one ace. Rudolph is a talented junior golfer who hopes to continue playing after high school. Hopefully, he will surpass his most recent two-for achievement. But even if he doesn't, he'll always have a legendary tale to tell.