It was his first hole-in-one, but it was one R.J. Sepich of Butler never saw.

Sepich, 13, was at the No. 16 hole at Oakview Golf Club last Monday when his tee shot for the 146-yard hole fell out of sight.

"Actually, there was a bunker in front of the hole," said Sepich, who is a student at Knoch Middle School. "We looked all around for it and then found it in the hole.

"It didn't have a ball mark so it must have gone right in," he added.

Sepich didn't even have friends or family at the course to share his good fortune.

"I was actually going to go myself and my cousin dropped me off at the course," said Sepich.

Before starting at the first hole, two other golfers asked if he wanted to join them.

With the way he was playing that day, Sepich never thought something like a hole-in-one would happen.

"I played horrible on the front nine," said Sepich. "I played great on the back nine."

Sepich went on to shoot a 101, but his best for 18 holes anywhere is an 86, which was also at Oakview.

Despite the 101, Sepich's playing partners were impressed with his outing.

"When we came off an someone asked what they shot, they said a 3 and a 4, but they knew someone who got a hole-in-one."

Not only did Sepich not see his ace, but he couldn't say who played in his party. Both gentlemen signed the card, but Sepich sheepishly admitted he couldn't make out the names.

Ironically, Sepich's father, Roger, had a hole-in-one at St. Jude's Golf Club in Chicora back in the late 1980s, but didn't have a witness when he played that round.

Still, Roger conveyed to R.J. how special a hole-in-one can be.

"He was excited," said the elder Sepich. "I told him how many can golf their whole life and never get a hole-in-one."

Sepich, who said his mom "went crazy" when he told her about the ace, has been golfing since he was five or six years old, although his father showed him how to use a putter at the age of two.

He has played regularly since, playing two or three rounds a week during the summer, mainly at Oakview and Aubrey's Dubbs Dred.

As an eighth-grade student, Sepich is going to try out for the basketball team and when he gets to Knoch High School, will try and join the golf team.

For now, Sepich's summer has gotten off to a great start and hopes better things on the course are on the horizon.

"Whenever I go up for a par 3 and I get a good shot, I feel more confident that it's possible."

That No. 16 hole at Oakview will always be special, even though when it happened he still had two more holes to play.

"I was shaking the rest of the way," said Sepich. "I couldn't wait to finish."