A 93-year-old named Ben Bender, who lives in Ohio, made a hole-in-one on the last round of his life. Bender, who quit the game after the round in which he made his hole in one, was playing Green Valley in Zanesville, Ohio, when he canned one on the 152-yard par 3. It was his third hole of the day.
Here's the Times Recorder with the report.
"I'd come close to some hole-in-ones, but this one was level on the green before it curved towards the hole and went in," Bender told the Times Recorder. "I was in awe watching it. I played a few more holes, but my hips were hurting and I had to stop. It seemed the Lord knew this was my last round so he gave me a hole-in-one."
Who knows how many rounds Bender played in his life before that first ace. According to the report, he started playing in his late 20s and at one point played six times a week. A conservative estimate of twice a week for the last 65 years is nearly 7,000 rounds or nearly 28,000 par 3s before ace No. 1.
Odds of an amateur making an ace are about 1 in 12,500, according to the National Hole in One Association, so Bender was kind of due.
"I was lucky to play golf this long, but I never expected (a hole-in-one)," he added to the paper. "It was the last time I was able to play, and I think God had a hand in this. I loved the game and hate to give it up, but I can't play forever."
No, you can't play forever. But you can go out in style.
