Dale Whitnell makes two holes-in-one in the same round

Dale Whitnell sensationally made two holes-in-one in his second round at the Investec South African Open Championship.

The Englishman aced the par-three second and 12th in a remarkable nine-under-par 63 which included a further eagle, seven birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey.

Whitnell, who is making his 154th start on the DP World Tour this week at Durban Country Club, had never previously made a hole-in-one in tournament play. He now has five in his career, with his most recent previously coming in a practice round at the Open de France at Le Golf National in 2022.

He becomes just the second player in DP World Tour history to make multiple holes-in-one in the same round after Andrew Dodt, who achieved the feat at the Nordea Masters in 2013.

After returning on Friday morning to complete an opening level-par 72, he began his second round nine shots adrift of early pacesetter Darren Fichardt of South Africa.

“Shooting level par, coming back after this morning I was struggling to make the cut, so I knew I needed to go out and play well," he said.

"I got off to a hot start as they say. I birdied the first and then hit a flush seven iron on the second and didn’t realise that it had gone in until down the bottom [greenside] they cheered so that was lovely.

“I hit two hybrid, hybrid into the par five and made eagle there so I was five under through three which I have never done before and then managed to get another hole in one at the 12th. It was bizarre.

“It is a weird feeling, everything in one. You are obviously excited and your adrenaline is pumping but at the same time you have got to focus on your job but I managed to do that.

"I had everything today. An air shot, two bogeys, a double bogey, three eagles and I come out nine under par so I can’t complain.”

He enjoyed an electric start to his second round as he followed a birdie at the first by acing the second from 185 yards with a seven iron, before an eagle at the par-five third.

Whitnell bounced back from a bogey at the seventh with a run of three birdies from the eighth through to the tenth to turn in 30 as he reached seven under for the championship.

He dropped a shot at the 11th, but then sensationally made his second hole-in-one at the 12th with a 50-degree wedge from 128 yards.

After a par - just his fourth of the day - at the 13th, he made back-to-back birdies at the 14th and 15th to get to ten under.

A birdie-birdie-birdie finish would have seen him make a 59, but those hopes were ended after an air shot from the greenside rough led to a double bogey at the 16th.

But he finished a round which will live long in the memory with a closing birdie to go from being in a battle to make the cut to being well placed to vie for victory at the halfway stage.

Incredibly, his 63 was bettered by South Africa's Dylan Naidoo who went two strokes lower to vault to 13 under, a shot adrift of countryman and clubhouse leader Shaun Norris.

There have now been seven holes-in-one on the 2025 Race to Dubai, following MK Kim at the BMW Australian PGA Championship, Daniel Gavins and Adrien Saddier at the Ras Al Khaimah Championship, Pablo Larrazábal at the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship and Eddie Pepperell at the Magical Kenya Open presented by absa.