Smithtown's Bob Lynch and Steve Matteo hit back-to-back aces at Pine Hills

Bob Lynch arrived at the 135-yard par 3 17th hole at Pine Hills and pulled out a 9-iron for his tee shot back on Aug. 21.

“I hit it real good up high,” said the Smithtown resident. “It landed on the green—the green is pitched from front to back— and I couldn’t really see it go in but I knew it was a good shot.”

Next up was playing partner Steve Matteo. The fellow Smithtown resident selected an 8-iron for the shot, and he was using an older Callaway Epic ball after he lost a sleeve of Titleist balls on the front nine.

“At the beginning of the round I was shanking, not hitting it well,” said Matteo.

This time he made solid contact. “It hit the right side of the green and bounced to the left side and we thought it went into the shadow of the flag,” said Matteo.

The foursome made their way to the green and Lynch and Matteo were unaware of the fate of their shots.

“We walk up as a foursome looking for our balls and we couldn’t find them,” said Matteo. “I thought it rolled off, another guy in the foursome said look in the cup, fooling around. I looked in the cup and there they are. It was amazing.”

Two holes in one, back to back. “It was crazy. Absolutely insane,” said the 65-year-old Lynch, a 19-handicapper.

It was the second ace of Lynch’s career, having made one on the fourth hole at Stonebridge in 2009. It was the first ace for Matteo, a 22-handicapper and member at the Nissequogue Golf Club. When he went back to his home club, the 73-year-old made it known that he jarred his first ace.

“It cost me some money at Nissequogue because I told them and everybody came around for drinks,” said Matteo,

Lynch’s delight was rather more than the excitement of making a hole in one.

“My putting has been brutal,” said Lynch who was pleased he didn’t have to finish out the hole after his ace. “You don’t have to worry about the putting.”