Scots duo make holes-in-one on exact same hole

“Hughie then stepped up before changing his club from a 7- to 6-iron and struck his shot right on it. I was already walking ahead but shouted back, ‘Good golf shot buddy’. I saw it take a couple of bounces and then, again, it disappeared. There’s a fall off at the back of the green so I thought it was too big.

“As we got closer to the green, we could see there were no balls on it. There’s a bit of rough behind the green so I thought they must’ve gone in there. Hughie then goes, ‘I’m away to check the hole’, as you do.

“He then put his hands out and says, ‘Congratulations buddy’. I said, ‘Who’s in the hole?’ and he replied, ‘We both are’. I cannot repeat what was said afterwards but we were going mental – absolutely mental.”

“I couldn’t believe it,” added Hugh. “The first ball I saw in the hole was Mark’s and I cranked my head a bit further and mine was sitting behind it. That’s my fifth hole-in-one but nothing will ever compare to this one – and I’ve had one on the 15th at Turnberry!”

The pair paused for a brief moment to take a selfie, as you do, to celebrate the occasion but, with their heads all over the place, they both three-putted the 11th hole for bogeys. Mark went onto win the match 3&2 and, although the duo didn’t really know each other before the match, they know they’ll forever be tied by this special occasion. 

“We’d never played golf together before and we didn’t really know each other either,” admitted Mark. “We’d say ‘Hello’ in passing but had never really had a conversation. This has bonded us for life now. It’s just surreal. So, so surreal.

But Hugh, 35 years Mark’s senior, wanted to add one final thing. “He’s an excellent young player but remember, he’s a young buck and I’m an old retired director so hopefully this will give my peers a lot of hope when they come up against these young lads.”