Arkansas Man Makes Back-to-Back Aces

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- Making one hole in one wasn’t good enough for Jeremy Lovelace’s playing partners at The Greens at Lakeside Village on Sunday.

So he did it again -- on the next hole.

The Arkansas senior from Dallas followed his perfect 135-yard shot on No. 8 at the par-3, nine-hole course with an equally perfect 120-yard effort on No. 9.

''I knew that this was Jeremy’s first ace with witnesses,’' said Chris Jensen, one of five others in Lovelace’s playing group. ''I turned to him and said, ‘Now you have to validate this on the next hole,’ and darned if he didn’t.’'

Lovelace, 22, beat some long odds with his accomplishment.

A study by Golf Digest and Boston University puts the odds of hitting a single hole in one at 5,000 to 1, and the National Hole in One Association puts the odds of making consecutive holes in one at 9,222,500 to 1.

No matter the odds, Jensen called the feat impossible.

''You couldn’t take a garbage can of golf balls, hit them all and do it again,’' Jensen said.

When Lovelace got to the ninth tee box, Jensen gave him a little boost.

''Chris yelled ‘Validate!’ in the middle of my backswing,’' Lovelace said. ''The ball landed a few inches right and bounced, then spun back into the hole. I turned and looked at the guys and dropped my club, and everyone came running and jumped on me.

''All I wanted to do was stick it close so the last hole didn’t look so much like a lucky shot.’'

Lovelace’s first ace, which was his 17th hole of the day, drew cheers from his playing group, which also included Charles Francis, Kyle Umpster, Clay Smith and Paul McCloud. His second caused a near riot.

''It was the most amazing thing,’' said Francis, 40. ''I’ve never seen anything like it before. I couldn’t believe it.’'

Lovelace’s first ace was into a green on an incline with water on the left and a sand bunker middle right. The pin placement was front middle.

His second was into an island green and the pin was in the middle.

Lovelace, who is scheduled to graduate in May with a degree in history, has been playing for only two and half years after receiving a set of clubs from his father as a Christmas present.

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