Hitting a hole-in-one in golf can be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Most can only dream of the day. But how about making two holes-in-one on the same day? On the same hole?
When Sewanee sophomore golfer Niel Phillips arrived at the Chick-fil-A Invitational on Monday morning in Rome, Ga., it felt like any other day. That was until he stepped up to the par-3, 182-yard, eighth hole at Stonebridge Golf Club, his first hole of what would be 36 holes and two rounds on the day.
It was 40 degrees, a bit colder than Phillips was used to in his native New Orleans. He went with a 6-iron and nailed it.
“I hit a perfect shot,” he said. “I didn’t know that it went in until I got up there and saw what happened.”
The momentum didn’t last at first. He lost the ball he used for his ace when he hit it into the water on the very next hole. There wasn’t much notable about the rest of his round, and he finished the round even par.
As the day rolled along into the afternoon, Phillips returned to the eighth tee to begin his second round. The temperature had warmed up since Phillips’ remarkable opening shot, so the young golfer shifted from a 6-iron to a 7-iron. He swung the club, and well, he did it again.
“I was thinking, there was no way,” Phillips said as the ball went toward the hole. “I was in denial until I saw the ball in the cup, and then I was really pumped up. My next emotion was shock. I still haven’t fully wrapped my head around it.”
Phillips was 1 under par in the second round and ended up finishing the tournament tied for 14th.
“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
Leading up to the Chick-fil-A, Phillips said the “season had not gone well,” but he started locking in during qualifying. He was also nice and chill for Monday’s two rounds, “relaxed and joking around” with teammates.
It wasn’t the first hole-in-one for the 19-year-old. Six years earlier, he had his first on the Kelly Gibson Junior Golf Tour. That one was from 121 yards away, and he used a pitching wedge.
Phillips is back in action this weekend at the O’Briant Jensen Memorial in Greensboro, N.C., playing The Cardinal designed by Pete Dye, an 18-hole, par-71 course.
Like many talented young golfers, Phillips can’t help but think of possibly reaching the PGA Tour someday. He’s already playing at a high level at Sewanee, an NCAA Division III school. Along the way, Phillips could further hone his game on the Korn Ferry Tour, a developmental professional tour, and maybe also find an avenue to the PGA through Q School tournaments.
“To say I’m going to be in the PGA is outlandish,” said Phillips, who’s been swinging golf clubs since he was 5. “I’m trying to be realistic and keep maximizing my ability, but if I have a chance to get to the PGA, I will try.”
Phillips just might get there someday. It’s hard to doubt a guy who can do the unthinkable.
