Simultaneous aces at Royal Liverpool defy 17 million-to-one odds
The National Hole in One registry estimates the probability of two golfers holing out on the same hole in the same round at 17 million to one, a statistical outlier that England Golf officials describe as extraordinary.
Rob Davis and David Lewis, long-time playing partners with a combined history on the course spanning more than three decades, achieved a statistical anomaly at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club. During a single round, both men recorded a hole-in-one on the 15th hole, a 107-yard par-three that has hosted The Open Championship 13 times. The National Hole in One registry has estimated the odds of this simultaneous occurrence at 17 million to one.
Davis, 67, and Lewis, 64, utilised pitching wedges for their respective aces. Davis, who holds a handicap of 10.8, initially doubted the outcome of his shot, believing the ball had bounced off the flagstick into the fringe due to the green’s topography. Lewis, with a handicap of 7.1, followed moments later. It marked Lewis’s second career hole-in-one, approximately 12 years after his first, which he lost in the gorse on the fourth hole at the same venue.
The confirmation of the double ace required verification from fellow players. Davis noted that the pair could not see the base of the pin from their positions. It was only after walking up to the green and being directed by a playing partner to inspect the hole that they confirmed both balls had dropped. Davis described the moment as surreal, noting that the two men simply shook hands to acknowledge the shared achievement before proceeding to the clubhouse.
Adhering to standard golfing tradition, both players purchased drinks for their fellow golfers at the clubhouse bar following the event. Davis indicated he is now considering how to preserve his ball to mark the occasion, a decision born from a previous error where Lewis failed to retrieve his first ace ball.
England Golf Championships Director James Crampton commented on the rarity of the event, stating that while some individuals may never achieve a hole-in-one in their lifetime, doing so alongside a friend on the same hole is extraordinary. The Florida Museum of Natural History provides comparative statistics for rare events, noting that the odds of dying from a shark attack are one in 4.3 million, while flipping a coin correctly 24 times in a row stands at one in 16.7 million.
