SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — It's something every golfer dreams of, knocking in a hole-in-one. Many, if not most, will go their entire amateur career never dropping in an ace during a round.
But for local golfer Cliff Romme, the opposite, and then some, happened. During a round at Orange Tree Golf Resort, Romme had two holes-in-one in a single round!
"The reality was, I was kind of numb like this can't be happening," Romme said. "I can't believe this."
Neither could his friends he was playing along with either. Romme and his threesome play in a men's group weekly which results in a shotgun start. In what was a cloudy morning, Romme started on the 15th hole and secured his first ace of the round on the 4th hole.
"The start of the round wasn't going well," Romme said. "The ball was hitting in the water and everybody was stiff and cold."
That is until he stepped up with an eight iron in hand from 135 yards out and gave it his best swing. The result was a ball he assumed was hit well past the green.
"So when we got up there, I couldn't see the ball on the green," Romme said. "I took my wedges and went behind the green looking for the ball and couldn't find it and one of the players said look in the hole and sure enough, there it was."
The ace garnered the attention of another group at a tee box nearby which then prompted the course ranger to follow up with Romme himself a few holes later on the 7th.
It was then when Romme caught lightning in a bottle twice, this time with his shot coming from 125 yards away from the cup.
"It felt good right off the bat," Romme said. "The ball went up nice and high, little bit of a draw, hit the upslope part of the green, and rolled five feet into the hole and this time we saw it and heard it. I think the ranger reacted to it as much as anybody."
The second celebration of the round started to everyone's disbelief, resulting in the ranger taking several photos and awarding Romme two flags representing his two holes-in-one.
It was a once-in-a-lifetime moment for Romme which now validates for the amateur perhaps he won't be the only one to create magic such as this on the golf course.
"I guess I think it's a little more possible now," Romme said. "What a round that was, the best of my entire life."
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale. The Coyotes play at Mullett Arena on ASU's Tempe campus.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
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