Making a hole-in-one is every golfer’s dream, and it’s a topic discussed during almost every round they play.
Golf pro on DP World Tour achieves the unthinkable everyone can only dream of
Englishman Dale Whitnell did something at the South African Open that every golfer could only dream of doing.
Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images
Jack Milko has been playing golf since he was five years old. He has yet to record a hole-in-one, but he did secure an M.A. in Sports Journalism from St. Bonaventure University.
Simple questions such as “Have you ever had one?” or “How many do you have?” are always raised, especially when teeing off with new players. It’s a bonding experience of sorts, but there is also an element of bragging rights — a competition in and of itself.
Many players have had one, while others (including this author) have not. But can you imagine having two holes-in-one during the same round? Impossible right?
Not for Englishman Dale Whitnell, who is currently the 545th ranked player in the world. During the second round at the Investec South African Open Championship, Whitnell made two aces. The first came on the par-3 2nd hole, where Whitnell knocked it in with a 7-iron. Remarkably, his hole-in-one came between a birdie on the 1st and an eagle on the par-5 3rd, meaning Whitnell had the rare 3-1-3 on his scorecard. You rarely see a player post the Detroit area code like that.
“I got off to a hot start as they say. I birdied the first and then hit a flush seven iron on the second and didn’t realise that it had gone in until down the bottom [greenside] they cheered so that was lovely,” Whitnell said.
“I hit two hybrid, hybrid into the par five and made eagle there so I was five under through three which I have never done before.”
He cooled off a bit from there, and even dropped a shot on the par-4 7th. But he rallied with birdies on the 8th and 9th holes to go out with a 6-under 30 on the front nine.
Then, Whitnell made his second ace of the day on the par-3 12th, achieving the impossible that everyone can only dream of.
“It was bizarre,” Whitnell said.
“It is a weird feeling, everything in one. You are obviously excited and your adrenaline is pumping, but at the same time, you have got to focus on your job, but I managed to do that.”
He used a 50-degree wedge at the 12th, which measured only 128 yards. The Englishman then made three more birdies and a double-bogey, as his wild round tallied up to a 9-under 63.
Talk about a bizarre day indeed.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.
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