Pair of Scots sink aces on same hole in match play

According to the National Hole-In-One Registry, the odds of an average golfer sinking an ace are 12,000 to 1. The odds of two players in a foursome acing the same hole? That’d be 17,000,000 to 1.

But that’s exactly what happened Tuesday night at Lanark Golf Club in Scotland. Mark Mcleod, 28, and Hugh Kinniburgh, 63, combined for a birdie two on the par-3 10th hole while competing in a match play event.

Mcleod, a one-handicapper who was 2UP and one-under par against four-handicapper Kinniburgh, teed off first on the 149-yard hole.

“It was downwind, the pin was middle left and I hit a smooth wedge,” he told bunkered.co.uk. “It was the perfect shot, it took a bounce, then disappeared. The green was covered in shadows as it’s surrounded by trees and Hugh said, ‘Good shot Mark’, so I knew it was close and had put the pressure on.

“Hughie then stepped up before changing his club from a 7- to 6-iron and struck his shot right on it. I was already walking ahead but shouted back, ‘Good golf shot buddy’. I saw it take a couple of bounces and then, again, it disappeared. There’s a fall off at the back of the green so I thought it was too big.

“As we got closer to the green, we could see there were no balls on it. There’s a bit of rough behind the green so I thought they must’ve gone in there. Hughie then goes, ‘I’m away to check the hole’, as you do.

“He then put his hands out and says, ‘Congratulations buddy’. I said, ‘Who’s in the hole?’ and he replied, ‘We both are’. I cannot repeat what was said afterwards but we were going mental – absolutely mental.”

Played a match play comp tonyt @LanarkGolfClub made a holein1 at the 10th hole and my competitor also made one to half #holein1#halfedin1s pic.twitter.com/sgwxRzhJ3i

— Mark Mcleod (@C13OUD) June 20, 2017

Going mental seems to be the appropriate response to the situation. The pair would go on to three-putt the 11th, and Mcleod would win 3&2. Though the two had never played together before, the event has “bonded us for life now,” according to Mcleod.