OXNARD : 2 Golfers Beat Odds for Holes in One

The odds were too high to figure. Their score on the hole, however, was as low as it gets.

Pat Shanahan and Mark Munoz each recorded a hole in one Monday at River Ridge Golf Club in Oxnard--on consecutive shots.

“I don’t know what the odds on that would be,” said Bill Parry, an assistant pro at River Ridge.

Shanahan, who lives in Redondo Beach, stepped up to the 146-yard fifth hole with a nine iron and recorded an ace. Munoz, playing in the same threesome, duplicated the feat with the next swing.

Munoz, the Oxnard city champion as well as the River Ridge men’s champion, used an eight iron. Munoz, who lives in Ventura, is a maintenance worker at River Ridge.

Neither player knew of their feats at the time. A knoll on the fifth hole runs through the middle of the green, obstructing a view of the bottom of the flagstick from the tee box.

“We walked up and I said, ‘Where the hell is (my ball)?’ ” said Shanahan, 30. “I had an eight iron because I figured I was going to have to chip.”

Shanahan and the third member of the group, Robert Casey of Ventura, finally checked the hole and found both balls.

Casey, who parred the fifth hole, had the last laugh. He finished with a five-over 77, while Munoz and Shanahan shot 81 and 82, respectively.

Said Munoz, 36: “We’re going to sneak out the side door. Otherwise, we have to buy a round for the whole men’s club.”