DP World Tour pro lives every golfer’s dream

DP World Tour player Dale Whitnell just did what every amateur has dreamed of, and he did it twice in one round. Hitting a hole-in-one is incredibly difficult. It’s one of the most difficult things to do in all of sports, as they are roughly a one-in-12,500 occurrence. Whitnell did it twice in one round to stave off missing the cut.

DP World Tour’s Dale Whitnell knocks in two aces

Entering the second round on Friday, English golfer Dale Whitnell was in danger of missing the cut. He was even after the first round and knew he needed a good round to avoid going home early. Not only did he have a good round, but he did something so few have ever done.

It’s every golfer’s dream to hit a hole-in-one but to do it twice in the same round in a professional tournament is just unheard of. That’s what Whitnell did, though. He knocked in an ace on the par-three second and 12th holes at Durban Country Club in the South African Open.

Whitnell, the 545th-ranked golfer in the world, said via ESPN, “I was struggling to make the cut, so I knew I needed to go out and play well and got off to a hot start as they would say.” His total round was nine under par, and he went from worrying about the cut to being tied for ninth. He’s just five strokes back of the lead now.

Overall, Whitnell’s second round was impressive. He added a third eagle, seven birdies, two bogeys, and one double bogey for that nine-under scoreline. “Birdied the first and then hit a flush 7-iron on the second and didn’t realize it went in until down the bottom they sort of cheered,” Whitnell noted. “That was lovely.”

He admitted that he’d “never had one [hole in one] in tournament play” and thought it was “pretty special” to have two in a single round. Now, he goes into the weekend certain of playing the third and fourth rounds and in contention for a possible win, which would be his 11th pro win in his career.