Jeff Ott watched a hole-in-one, then shot one in River Cup Senior matches

By Steve Stein

The River Cup Senior competition went 24 years without a hole-in-one. Now there have been two aces shot in two years.

Jim Mounce of Team Tazwood ended the hole-in-one draught last year on the ninth hole at Mt. Hawley Country Club of Peoria. 

Jeff Ott of Team Peoria made it two aces in back-to-back years when he shot a hole-in-one May 31 on hole No. 12 at Lick Creek Golf Course in Pekin.

Ott had a bird's-eye view of Mounce's ace, which came during the best ball portion of the competition, because he was on the opposing team.

Mounce used a 9-iron for his ace on the 147-yard ninth hole at Mt. Hawley (2024). Ott's ace, which also was shot during a best ball match, came with an 8-iron on the 139-yard hole at Lick Creek.

Playing with a back issue that will require surgery, Ott had a good look at his ace.

"I could see the shot had a good line," he said. "The ball landed behind the hole, trickled back, and I watched it disappear into the cup."

It was the second hole-in-one of Ott's golf career. The first came several years ago on the former No. 7 hole at Kellogg Golf Course in Peoria. 

He used a 7-iron that day and didn't see the ball go into the hole.

Ott is quite an athlete.

He played baseball at the University of Iowa, was drafted by the New York Yankees, reached the Class AA level in their farm system, and was an outstanding slow-pitch softball player who was inducted into the Illinois USSSA Hall of Fame in 2012.

Two holes-in-one have been shot in the 33 years of the River Cup Men's competition, by Jeff Ackerman and Chris Fort.