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Defying the Odds

For second time in 5 years at a Colorado mountain course, 2 golfers in same foursome ace same hole on same day

By Gary Baines – 06/20/2019

It must be something in the water between Vail and Glenwood Springs.

Five years ago, two players in the same foursome at Gypsum Creek Golf Course scored holes-in-one at the 151-yard 17th hole, with Fred Kessler from Gypsum and Dan Eby from Avon doing the honors on consecutive swings.

Fast forward to Memorial Day of this year, and 14 miles away — as the crow flies — at the Fazio Course at Red Sky Golf Club in Wolcott.

Cara Beckcom, a part-time resident of Beaver Creek, was playing a round with her husband Brian, son Henry and her dad, Craig Fecel, who also lives part-time in Beaver Creek and in Houston.

And guess what?

Cara Beckcom aced the 17th hole at the Fazio Course, using a 50-degree wedge from 96 yards. Not to be outdone, father Craig Fecel proceeded to make a hole-in-one at the same hole, for him using 9-iron from 125 yards. (Daughter and father are pictured above.)

Brian and Henry Beckcom witnessed this beyond-rare feat and Jeff Hanson, PGA director of golf at Red Sky, forwarded the information.

According to a graphic the National Hole In One Association once assembled (CLICK HERE for a related story Golf Digest did in 2013), the estimated odds of two amateurs in a foursome making aces the same day on the same hole is 26 million to 1.

What we’re wondering is what are the odds of that happening twice within 15 miles of one another — albeit five years apart — in both cases at hole 17? Or of it occurring this time when both “acers” are members of the same family?

We’ll leave it to the statisticians to work all that out.