Hole-in-one denies teen high school team eligibility and $5,000
A Minnesota teenager has been denied his $5,000 prize after making a hole-in-one during a charity fundraiser. What’s more, the shot cost him his place on his high school golf team.
MOST PEOPLE HAVE nothing but positive associations with their first hole-in-one, but for Minnesota teenager Andrew Vold, memories of that first ace will be always be tainted by his recollection of the frustrating legal battle it prompted and the summer of high school competition it ruined.
Vold was playing in a fundraiser for a high school swim team back in May when, arriving at a sponsored par-3, he decided to enter pay the $10 asking price to enter a hole-in-one competition. Against nearly overwhelming odds, his 150-yard nine-iron found the bottom of the cup.
The ace should have guaranteed him a prize of $5,000, one-year membership of a fitness club, a weekend stay at a nearby resort, two dozen golf balls, a $100 equipment voucher and a GPS caddy. Only it didn’t.
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According to Tim Leighton of the Twin Cities’ Pioneer Press, the company that sponsored the event are refusing to honour their commitment, claiming they have no proof the shot was ever played. Vold and his group filled out affidavits attesting to the ace, but the female observer in charge of overseeing the event claims it never happened.
Understandably, the teenager is outraged:
“This is completely ridiculous… The hole official was right there. She was a girl that was about 18 to 20 years old. She saw the divot, and she saw it go into the cup. We saw her watching it. People from the next hole watched it and cheered. We saw her get on the phone and call someone after it went in.”
Par 3 Fun Stop, the company that sponsored the competition, has declined to provide any information about the female attendant in question. It’s also stopped returning the calls from members of the Vold’s family.
As if all that wasn’t tough enough to stomach, news of the hole-in-one also cost the Minnesotan a place on his high school golf team. After hearing the story at a squad practice, the team coach realised Vold was likely in breach of a state rule banning team members’ participation in non-sanctioned events. He was subsequently ruled ineligible for the rest of the year.
Hole-in-one denies teen high school team eligibility and $5,000
MOST PEOPLE HAVE nothing but positive associations with their first hole-in-one, but for Minnesota teenager Andrew Vold, memories of that first ace will be always be tainted by his recollection of the frustrating legal battle it prompted and the summer of high school competition it ruined.
Vold was playing in a fundraiser for a high school swim team back in May when, arriving at a sponsored par-3, he decided to enter pay the $10 asking price to enter a hole-in-one competition. Against nearly overwhelming odds, his 150-yard nine-iron found the bottom of the cup.
The ace should have guaranteed him a prize of $5,000, one-year membership of a fitness club, a weekend stay at a nearby resort, two dozen golf balls, a $100 equipment voucher and a GPS caddy. Only it didn’t.
According to Tim Leighton of the Twin Cities’ Pioneer Press, the company that sponsored the event are refusing to honour their commitment, claiming they have no proof the shot was ever played. Vold and his group filled out affidavits attesting to the ace, but the female observer in charge of overseeing the event claims it never happened.
Understandably, the teenager is outraged:
Par 3 Fun Stop, the company that sponsored the competition, has declined to provide any information about the female attendant in question. It’s also stopped returning the calls from members of the Vold’s family.
As if all that wasn’t tough enough to stomach, news of the hole-in-one also cost the Minnesotan a place on his high school golf team. After hearing the story at a squad practice, the team coach realised Vold was likely in breach of a state rule banning team members’ participation in non-sanctioned events. He was subsequently ruled ineligible for the rest of the year.
Holes-in-one: who needs the hassle, eh?
Read the full story at the Pioneer Press>
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