$2,000,000 at stake in local hole-in-one contest

Tuesday, August 26, 2003

Golfers of varying skill levels gave it their best shots in pursuit of $2,000,000 in prize money at the fifth annual YMCA Hole-in-One contest on Sunday.

"It's a fun event," said Mike Harbit of KNEM/KNMO radio, the media partner and promoter of the event. "Anybody can play. You don't have to be an accomplished golfer and there's no age limit. Men, women, children and lots of families came out."

The week's activities climaxed as six finalists stood on the tee in hopes of hitting the shot of their lives.

Each finalist had one chance to see if they could somehow coax that little dimpled spheroid into the bottom of the cup and walk away with a cool $2,000,000.

The target -- a hole on the No. 1 green at Frank E. Peters Municipal Golf Course. Just 155 yards to fame and fortune.

But, unfortunately, the grand prize eluded the hundreds who attempted to qualify and the sixty -- 10 closest to the hole in six days of qualifying -- semifinalists who did.

The final six, in order of finish, were Blake Hertzberg, Mark Jones, John Ullman, Mike Cragin, Randy Gammon and Pattie Christensen, all of Nevada. Christensen, one of three female qualifiers, finished second in the semifinals.

Christensen, on her money shot, said, "I was just hoping to get it on the green. I got lucky in the semifinals."

In the finals, Hertzberg, a former Nevada High School and William Woods University golfer, was closest at 12 feet-4 5/8 inches.

Said Hertzberg, "I just kinda' got up there…I'd been hitting between a 6- and a 7-iron all night long and decided to hit a 7-iron as hard as I could and I hit it pretty good."

Although no one won the grand prize or the other cash consolation prizes, all qualifiers received gifts.

In addition to the $2,000,000 grand prize, each semifinalist was eligible to win $20,000 for a hole-in-one on the first of three shots, $10,000 on the second and $5000 on the third. All semifinalists received three balls for each day they qualified.

There were two holes-in-one during qualifying rounds at Lyons Stadium. Hertzberg and Gammon holed shots of about 80 yards. Those shots, however, were not eligible for the grand or consolation cash prizes.

But beyond the lure of prize money and the raw thrill of competition, the primary purpose of the event was to raise funds for Nevada's Osage Prairie YMCA.

Ted Maxfield, YMCA director, said, "The money we raise is great because we're able to use it to help develop new programs and also, more importantly, it helps us make sure that people who couldn't normally afford our programs or membership can participate. We never turn anyone away. We have financial assistance available so that anyone can participate and this event helps us to fund that."

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