Jay Tostevin (left) and Trump Dubai Golf Operations Supervisor Lee Pleau. 

By Kent Gray
What is it about Trump International Golf Club Dubai and out of the ordinary hole-in-one stories?

Last month member Claudine Phillips came to our attention after recording the rarest of rare holes-in-one by guiding her four-hybrid into the cup on the par-4 12th at the Gil Hanse-designed course.

From our freaky aces file, there is the story of how Dubai-based amateur Chris Lord also recorded an albatross, this time on the short par-4 8th hole at Trump Dubai in January. Did we mention it came just three days after former Ryder Cupper Nicolas Colsaerts ended a 30-year wait for his first hole-in-one…on the very same hole? Yes, we did, right here.

Then there is the yarn about how 2014 Ryder Cup-winning captain Paul McGinley ended a two-decade hole-in-one drought on the 17th to continue a freaky family trend of aces in the emirate. For the record, McGinley’s brother Michael, a then Dubai resident and +1 handicapper, incredibly recorded three aces in six days in 2015, one at Jumeirah Golf Estates (four iron on the 4th) and two at his then home Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club (with nine irons on the 5th and 8th in consecutive days).

All of which makes the latest Trump Dubai aces story almost ordinary. Except, of course, it is anything but. Note the plural.

The characters this time are GEMS FirstPoint School The VIlla Assistant Principal and single-figure handicapper Jay Tostevin and Trump Dubai Golf Operations Supervisor Lee Pleau, the scene Trump’s brilliant par 3 layout.

With Tostevin heading to Bahrain to take up a similar education role, a farewell tournament was held in his honour last week in a nod to his contribution to the club; the Jersey born and raised, former semi-pro footballer had established and run the MNG Society on the mini-me course for the past two years.

The rich reward for his hard work? An ace, of course, on the 88-yard 2nd hole. The freaky encore? You guessed it, Pleau aced the very same hole two groups later.

 

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What a way to finish. Congratulations to our very own Jay Tostevin who finished with a hole in one during his own farewell tournament on the Par 3 course. Jay carded the ace on Hole 2 which was then equaled by our very own Lee Pleau who played two groups behind. Thank you to Jay for all the efforts in establishing and organizing the MNG Golf Society over the past 2 years. We wish you all the very best in Bahrain. #trumpgolfdubai #holeinone #achievement #memorablemoments

A post shared by Trump Dubai (@trumpgolfdubai) on Jul 28, 2020 at 10:49pm PDT

What a way to finish indeed. Congrats Gents and good luck in Bahrain Jay.

Anyone else heading to Trump Dubai looking to cash in on the good ace juju?