Niel Phillips, a sophomore on Sewanee’s Division III golf team, didn’t win the 2025 Chick-fil-a Invitational on Monday. But Phillips achieved a feat far rarer and more memorable than a college golf win. He made two holes-in-one on the same hole on the same day in competition.
Here’s what you need to know about Phillips’ incredible feat, and just how unlikely it is.
Neil Phillips aces same hole twice at Chick-fil-A Invitational
We know about Phillips’ adventure in aces thanks to Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine, who broke the story on Monday.
The Chil-fil-A Invitational was played at Stonebridge Country Club in Rome, Ga. With two rounds on the docket for Monday, Phillips began the shotgun start on Stonebridge’s par-3 8th hole, which stretches out to 195 yards.
According to Romine’s report, the sophomore chose a 6-iron and opened with a bang: a hole-in-one, just the second of his life.
After finishing off an even-par round of 72, Phillips headed back to the 8th tee to start his second round. With the heavy morning air having dissipated, Phillips chose a 7-iron this time and again watched as his ball dropped into the hole, which was in the same position it was for his first ace.
“PERFECT SHOTS ALL THE WAY!”
A D3 golfer aced the same hole twice on the same day Monday at the Chick-Fil-A Invitational in Rome, Georgia.@SewaneeTigers sophomore Niel Phillips began his first round with a hole-in-one (6-iron from 182 yards) on the par-3 eighth hole at… pic.twitter.com/KLeBShUZVm
— Brentley Romine (@BrentleyGC) October 20, 2025
Phillips told Golf Channel he was “in disbelief” after his second ace, attributing it to “two good swings and some good luck.”
He would finish the second round with a 71, but a disappointing 79 in Round 3 dropped him to a T14-finish.
You can read more about Phillips’ feat and his comments following the round in Golf Channel’s story here.
Odds of making two holes-in-one on same day
Anyone can tell that Phillips’ two holes-in-one were unlikely, but just how unlikely, statistically speaking?
Since Phillips’ specific scenario, playing two rounds on the same course in the same day, is rare itself, we don’t have statistics for his specific feat.
This pro may have just accomplished golf’s rarest hole-in-one feat
By:
Jack Hirsh
However, with the help of the National Hole-in-One Registry, we can get a good idea of the odds. According to the authority on aces, the likelihood of an average golfer making a single hole-in-one is 12,000 to 1.
Phillips is no average golfer, though. Fortunately, they also provide the stats for a low-handicapper making an ace: 5,000 to 1.
But when the question changes to the likelihood of one golfer making two holes-in-one in the same round, the odds plummet to 67 million to 1.
Phillips didn’t technically make two aces in the same round; it took him 19 holes. But the fact that his two aces came on the same hole potentially makes his feat even more unlikely.
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