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Ohio golfer, 68, aces par-4

By Alex Hider
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PORTSMOUTH, Ohio -- Local golfer Cornel Chapman has hit thousands of shots over the span of nearly fifty years, but one shot last Sunday topped them all.

Playing in a foursome with Mike Copley, Mike Swearinger and Jeff Keaton at the Elks Country Club, Chapman teed off on the par-four ninth hole, sending the ball down a steep slope and over a large tree planted in the fairway. Chapman figured that his drive had reached the green (he says he has done so on the ninth hole before), but had no idea where his ball ended up.

As his group approached the green, they were stunned to see the group ahead of them waving their arms and pointing to the hole.

"It was the biggest shock I've ever had," Chapman said.

Chapman -- a "five or six" handicap golfer -- had not only hit his first-ever hole-in-one, but accomplished one of the rarest feats in golf: a double-eagle, or three-under-par on a single hole.

Chapman said that employees of the Elks often see hole-in-ones, but could only recall two other instances in recent years were a golfer holed out on the ninth hole.

"I can probably hit a thousand more of those shots, and I couldn't do it," he said.

Though he was able to check off an item on his "Bucket List," the 68-year-old golfer isn't planning on stepping away from the game any time soon.

"It's stuff like this that keeps me coming back," Chapman said.

This article was written by Alex Hider from The Portsmouth Daily Times, Ohio and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.