Golf-Lightning strikes twice for ace specialist Todd

ATLANTA, April 17 (Reuters) - American Brendon Todd became the first player on the Nationwide Tour to ace the same hole twice in one tournament, achieving the remarkable feat in Athens, Georgia on Friday.

Todd holed out with an eight-iron at the 147-yard, par-three 17th in the second round of the Athens Regional Foundation Classic.

"It's still hard to believe," he told reporters after carding a one-under 71 in the $550,000 event on the PGA Tour's satellite circuit. "It's a bit surreal.

"I guess it's like catching lightning in a bottle. It was a perfect yardage.

"It looked pretty good in the air and then landed about four feet short and left of the hole and rolled in the back of the cup. I guess I played the break perfectly."

Todd used a seven-iron to ace the hole on Thursday when it played 157 yards off the tee.

According to PGA Tour records the last player to ace the same hole twice in one tournament was Australian Graham Marsh in the first and third rounds of the 2004 Senior British Open.

Five players have recorded two aces in the same PGA Tour event, Yusaku Miyazato (2006 Reno-Tahoe Open), Bob Tway (1994 Memorial Tournament), Glen Day (1994 Greater Hartford Open), Jack Rule (1964 Mountain View Open) and Bill Whedon (1955 Insurance City Open).

(Writing by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Los Angeles; editing by Tony Jimenez. To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)