How often have you witnessed a hole-in-one?
It is a score, an ace, every golfer desires to achieve and a shot everyone wants to watch.
For the girls playing in the 16-to-19 age division at the 11th Matt Mishler Junior Portage County Amateur, and the spectators following, witnessing a hole-in-one can now be checked off the bucket list.
Not one, but two aces were scored by girls in consecutive tee times at Windmill Lakes Golf Course on the eighth hole.
First, Hannah Stone, a senior playing on the boys team at Rootstown High School, stepped up to the par-3 hole and sent her tee shot sailing toward the green. As the threesome of girls watched, Stone’s ball hit the green, took one hop, and jumped into the hole.
It was Stone’s second hole-in-one after scoring an ace at Sunny Hill during a practice round with the Rovers.
But this one, in a tournament, was special.
As Stone’s threesome finished the hole, the crowd was just settling down when Grace Thompson, senior co-captain of the Kent Roosevelt Lady Riders team, teed up her ball.
Thompson and two additional golfers were playing in the next tee time following Stone.
“I even said it would be awesome if one of us got a hole-in-one too,” said Thompson.
And that is what she did.
Stepping up onto the eighth tee box, Thompson sent her ball toward the green on the par-3 hole and everyone watched as her ball rolled into the cup.
Bryan Harvey and Larry Picicco, Kent Roosevelt varsity girls golf coaches, were astounded at the fete.
Two holes-in-one on the same hole within about 15 minutes of each other by girls in the same division in consecutive tee times.
For Thompson, she concluded her round with an 85 and is currently in second place.
For Stone, she fired an even 100 for 18 holes for the first time in her young golfing career, and is in fifth place in the oldest girls division.
Both girls have a story to tell and own bragging rights for their accomplishment in the 11th Matt Mishler Junior Portage County Amateur.
