Junior golfer Jake Martinez cards two aces in tournament round
22 Sep 2021
by Andrew Stilwell of AmateurGolf.com
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Jake Martinez after his second hole-in-one. (U.S. Kids Golf)
Many golfers wait their whole lives for their first hole-in-one, if they ever achieve the feat during their playing career. According to the National Hole-in-One Registry, the average golfer plays 24 years of golf before making their first ace.
For Tucson, Arizona’s Jake Martinez, he didn’t have to wait that long. The 11-year-old had his first ever hole-in-one during the first round of U.S. Kids Golf Palm Springs Open, held this past weekend. As for the wait between Martinez’ first career hole-in-one and his second? Seven holes.
Jake Martinez, Photo: U.S. Kids Golf
You’re reading that correctly. Seven. Holes. The odds of two aces in the same round? 1 in 67,000,000.
Playing the Player Course at the Westin Mission Hills, Martinez had started his day with double bogeys on two of his first four holes, and approached the 95-yard fifth hole at four-over par. Hitting a pitching wedge, “aimed a little left” and “wanting to draw it in” at the advice of Martinez’s caddy, his father, the ball took one bounce, and landed in the hole.
“We were all shocked!” Martinez recounted in a post-round interview.
Continuing his round, Martinez came to the par 3 12th hole, playing at 100 yards. Choosing to hit pitching wedge again, his father gave him the same advice: “Aim a little left, and draw it in.” The result was the same. It hit the green, and found the bottom of the cup for his second career hole-in-one.
“We were both shocked,” Martinez said. “They both felt like I was dreaming or something, it was just unreal.”
Martinez would go on to finish the Palm Springs Open with a 74-76—150 (+6), good enough to finish in 14th place in the Boys 11 age group.
No word if a double dose of post-round sodas were on Jake.