There’s nothing harder to accomplish in sports than a hole-in-one. The odds are 1 in 12,500, and some golfers go their entire lives without ever seeing the ball drop in the cup from the tee-box. With the degree of difficulty, two in one weekend is simply unheard of. 

John Carroll University freshman Jacob Hazen and senior Ellis Langermeier defied the odds, both accomplishing an ace this past weekend. Hazen, a native of Columbus and lifetime golfer, never had a hole-in-one before Friday afternoon. Langermeier, who played high-school golf at Westlake, now has four in his golf career. 

For Hazen, he stepped into the tee box on hole No. 16 at Shaker Heights Country Club and pulled a 56-degree club out of his bag. Hazen teed it up 95 yards away from the pin and saw it take a line to the hole. The green was uphill, leaving him guessing if he had actually done it. Hazen didn’t think so at first.

“It looked good. On the tee box, I was joking around fist-bumping everyone saying, ‘hole-in-one’ as a joke,” Hazen said. “I knew it was going to be close, but I just didn’t think it was going to be in the hole, actually. When we walked up, I think four of us for sure hit the green, and three of us were pretty close, and one was on the left side of the green.”

That’s when his teammate, Anthony Nuzzo, broke the good news.

“We walked up, and there were only three balls on the green. My friend, his name is Anthony, was like, ‘I think one of them is in the hole.’ I thought I was long or in the bunker. He walked up to the hole with another freshman, and they were like, ‘Oh my gosh. There is a ball in the hole.’ They came running after me. I was just in shock. I didn’t really believe it at first.

“It was just complete shock. I had my hands on my head with my mouth open, and I just couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t wrap my head around it. There have been so many opportunities for me to have a hole-in-one. I have played so many par threes. My reaction wasn’t crazy and jumping around. I just couldn’t believe it.”

 

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The next day, Hazen was in Langermeier’s group at River Greens Golf Course in West Lafayette, Ohio. Hazen said he had never witnessed a hole-in-one until he realized his shot rolled in the hole the day prior. On Saturday, Langermeier’s shot sounded like one that is only seen in a movie.

“It was the fifth hole. I was playing well before, hitting the ball well. The hole was 165 yards. We had some wind going right to left,” Langermeier recalled. “My thought process was, I am going to start the ball a little bit to the right, try to draw it a little bit. I was pushing it. I hit a 9-iron. That is as far as I can hit a 9-iron. 

“I hit it, and at the time, I did not think I caught it all. I thought that bit had to go hard at the hole. They were like, ‘I think it’s there, I think it’s good.’ I was yelling, ‘Go! Go!’ The ball was right on line, and it landed four feet past the pin, took one hop and spun back. We were yelling for it to go in. Out of nowhere, the ball went in, and we went ballistic. We were running around and screaming.”

 

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Although Langermeier’s ace was his fourth, it is a feeling that never gets old.

“It’s a feeling that is hard to describe. I am so fortunate to have four already, and there are pro golfers that go their whole lifetime playing on tour, playing so many rounds of golf, that have never had one. It’s just crazy to think, wow, that ball just really went in.

“My second and third one, I didn’t get to see it go in the hole. This one I actually got to see go in. It was such a great feeling to see it go in. Seeing it disappear is something that I will remember forever.”

Langermeier told The Carroll News that during his four years as a member of the John Carroll Men’s Golf Team, he had never heard of a teammate getting a hole-in-one in-season, which made two in consecutive days more unbelievable. Hazen tried to put it into words. 

“I hadn’t even seen a hole-in-one in my entire life until this weekend,” he said. “I saw two in two days, which was just crazy. I was in Ellis’ group for the qualifier, and we just saw it roll in. I was just like, ‘What is happening?’ I had never seen one in person. I had one, and then he had one. It was just ridiculous.”