Retiree not happy with two holes-in-one

Retiree not happy with two holes-in-one

Published Jan. 15, 2012 12:00 a.m. ET

A New Zealand retiree hit two holes-in-one in a single round of golf, although he still grumbled about finishing on a "pretty poor" 14-over par.

Val Sills, 74, sank his first ace on the fifth hole at the Northern Wairoa course in Dargaville, following up less than an hour later with another on the ninth.

Club vice-president Robert Nathan confirmed the feat, saying the double sent Sills' fellow golfers at the tiny North Island course into raptures.

"There was an almighty roar when we realized what he'd done," Nathan said. "After the second I looked over at Val and he was just standing there holding his club, dumbfounded."

ADVERTISEMENT

Amazingly, it was Sills' third hole-in-one at the course. He hit another on the ninth hole about a decade ago.

However, the retired dairy farmer was underwhelmed by his achievement, telling the New Zealand Herald that aces were merely "a fluke of chance."

"I always think of it as luck, not good golf," he said. "They [fellow players] were more excited about it than I was."

Sills, a member of the club for more than 60 years, was more concerned about ending the day with a score 86 on the 72-par course.

"It wasn't a very good round altogether, I think it was pretty obvious right from the start that I wasn't concentrating very well," he said.
 

share