There is no doubt that Mike Petrozelli is a lucky man. He describes himself as a normal golfer – one of many – but he is far from ordinary, at least when it comes to his accuracy on par-3 holes. Last year, the American won a BMW 320i when he scored a hole-in-one in a tournament for invited VIPs, and this year he won $10,000 and a day of free shopping thanks to an ace on another par-3 hole. “They might have to ban me from playing in these competitions,” he joked. Petrozelli admits to being an average golfer, with rounds in the high 80s and low 90s.

His $10,000 ace came when he was playing a scramble-format round with his brother-in-law, during which they carded two eagles on the front nine. Petrozelli scored his ace on a 166-yard par-3 – using a Ping 5-iron and a Titleist Pro V ball. His ball bounced and rolled directly to the hole. “It’s crazy, that’s my fourth hole-in-one, and the most recent two have been on prize holes. I’m good at hitting the greens.”

His latest ace was the only one he saw clearly enter the hole. \"It was unbelievable.”

The tournament had another prize, a Honda car, for anyone carding a hole-in-one on a second par-3. “I hit the ball on the green and was almost afraid it would go in.”

Petrozelli’s good fortune is not limited to golf: a few years ago he won $10,000 in a lottery.