Pro makes first two aces of career … in the same round!

It has been a historic week in professional golf.

On Thursday morning, Jake Knapp became just the 15th player ever to break 60 in a round, shooting 59 on the opening day at the Cognizant Classic. Then, on Friday morning, halfway across the world, Dale Whitnell became the fourth player in golf history to make two aces in a single round.

Yes, Dale Whitnell waited 153 professional starts before making the first ace of his career. But he waited fewer than 12 holes before his second.

On Friday morning at the South African Open Championship, Whitnell made an ace on the par-3 2nd hole, a 178-yard shot down a hill, ending a stretch of some 153 professional starts and 460 pro rounds played without a hole-in-one in competition. The monkey was off his back, and it was time to celebrate.

“It was mad,” he said later in an on-course interview with the DP World Tour. “I haven’t had one for a few years now. The first one was on the 2nd hole, a par-3, 178-yard 7-iron, straight down to the flag, and in.”

But then, as Whitnell turned to the back nine, he faced a tee shot on another, even more gettable par-3, the 12th hole, a 128-yard shot. With a 58-degree wedge in hand, he made what he termed another “strong swing” on the ball, and watched as it soared just beyond the hole, popping up in the air and zipping back into the hole on the bounce.

“I’m still playing so the adrenaline’s still going,” he said. “Enjoying it. Five under through three is a pretty nice start. Eight under so far today is pretty solid.”

Whitnell shot a 9-under 63 on Friday, vaulting himself from near the cut line to comfortably inside the top 10. He’ll have two long days ahead of him in South Africa to make a move up the leaderboard, but even if this weekend ends in a victory, there’s little doubt that the story of this week will forever start with Friday’s round and the pair of aces it delivered.

Both of @Dale_Whitnell‘s holes-in-one from the second round 🤯#InvestecSAOpen pic.twitter.com/jtbo1EngXP

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) February 28, 2025