Ninety-three-year-old Ben Bender made a hole-in-one during his likely last round of golf.
The event, played at Ohio’s Green Valley Golf Course, brought Bender's fath in God and his love of golf together, according to the Zanesville Times Recorder.
Bender, a Zanesville, Ohio native, is in declining health — including hip bursitis — making playing the game difficult.
"I'd come close to some hole-in-ones, but this one was level on the green before it curved towards the hole and went in," Bender told the newspaper. "I was in awe watching it. I played a few more holes, but my hips were hurting and I had to stop. It seemed the Lord knew this was my last round so he gave me a hole-in-one."
Although Bender once played with a three handicap when he lived in Florida, his game has declined along with his health. The other holes he played were pretty mediocre, according to Green Valley manager Steve Galloway.
"(Ben) shot 8 on 1 and 7 on 2 so you guessed it, a hole-in-one on 3," Galloway told the Times Recorder. "What an amazing feat by Ben (in his final round)."
Bender played a few more holes before calling it quits.
According to research conducted by the University of Edinburgh, playing golf brings many health benefits and can increase your life expectancy. The moderate activity the game provides can help golfers to live longer, healthier lives.
“It can help prevent and treat more than 40 major chronic diseases such as heart attacks, stroke, diabetes, breast and colon cancer,” said Dr. Andrew Murray, lead researcher at the University of Edinburgh’s Golf and Health project, according to CNN.
"Given that the sport can be played by the very young to the very old, this demonstrates a wide variety of health benefits for people of all ages. One study in Sweden found regular golfers lived an average of five years longer than non-golfers."
It seems to have worked for Bender.
"I was lucky to play golf this long, but I never expected (a hole-in-one)," he told the Times Recorder. "It was the last time I was able to play, and I think God had a hand in this. I loved the game and hate to give it up, but I can't play forever."
People on social media offered their own congratulations.
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