Golfer's joy at two holes-in-one

Doug Hazell has been playing golf for only a year (Picture: Media Wales)

An amateur golfer has beaten incredible odds to score two holes-in-one in a single round.

Doug Hazell, 23, was competing in a tournament at Caerphilly Golf Club when he hit two aces in just eight holes.

The 18-handicapper who took up the sport only about a year ago, had never scored a hole-in-one previously.

"I very much doubt it will happen again," he said. "I didn't realise it was such a big thing at the time, but it's beginning to sink in now."

He used a nine iron for the 115-yard hole seven, and a pitching wedge for the 111-yard hole 14.

The seventh is described on the club's website as a par three "requiring care and attention" and the 14th as "a tricky little par three guarded by mature trees".

"When I hit the first one, I was quite astonished I had done it," he said.

One guy said 'check the hole' as a joke and when he had a look he did a double take Doug Hazell

"I thought I'd be one of those players who never got a hole-in-one.

"For the second one, I was playing with two others.

"We all hit the green, but when we got down there we could only see two balls.

"One guy said 'check the hole' as a joke and when he had a look he did a double take.

"I couldn't believe it when I realised it was my ball."

Mr Hazell, from Caerphilly, kept the hole-in-one tradition of buying drinks for everyone back at the clubhouse, which amounted to leaving a bottle of whisky on the bar.

He said: "It was really nice, a really good feeling."

The seventh hole where Doug Hazell hit his first hole-in-one

Despite his success, he did not win the tournament, because he said the adrenaline had made him "a bit shaky".

Club secretary Roger Chaffey said there had never been two holes-in-one in a single round on the course before.

"Somebody quoted odds of 67m to one to get two in the same round.

"When a lottery win is something like 14m to one, it shows what an achievement it is."

Peter Godsiff of the Professional Golfers' Association said: "It is very unusual to get two holes-in-one, it's incredible.

"There is an element of luck in getting a hole-in-one, but it is a difficult thing to do."