Court Says Charity Is Stuck With Excessive Hole-In-One Payoff
Yep, those are free Benjamins these fortunate souls are holding.
At the 2015 Greenbrier Classic, tournament host and resort owner Jim Justice promised a windfall to gallery members on the 18th hole if a hole-in-one was achieved. The first ace netted the gallery $100 each.
Playing in the fifth group of the morning wave, George McNeill jarred a pitching wedge from 137 yards, earning $100 apiece for each of the spectators with the foresight to arrive early.
“A lot of new friends on 18, yeah. They were all thanking me as I walked off,” McNeill said. “I stole a line from Bubba Watson, I said, ‘You’re welcome.’”
It was McNeill’s second ace in as many competitive rounds at The Greenbrier, as he made a hole-in-one on No. 8 last year en route to a final-round 61 and a runner-up finish.
“We couldn’t see it from the tee, and just people started screaming and yelling,” McNeill said. “My caddie looked over and he goes, ‘I think you got a car.’ I go, ‘Well, I don’t know, I guess we’ll find out when I get finished.’ But guys come up and high-five and everything else. I didn’t know what to think.”
Fans seated on the 18th green receiveing $100 from @The_Greenbrier‘s Owner, Jim Justice for McNeill’s hole-in-one! pic.twitter.com/E0ywustWPx
— TheGreenbrierClassic (@GbrClassic) July 2, 2015
But the second ace by Justin Thomas hurt a bit more.
While McNeill’s hole-in-one paid $100 per person, Thomas’ shot paid out $500 to each fortunate spectator.
“It looked really good the whole way. As soon as it landed I said, ‘Go in,'” Thomas said. “You could see everyone was just going crazy. It’s all the more reason for them to get excited than just to see an ace.”
The total tab for McNeill’s ace was $18,900 in fan cash, plus $25,000 to the charity of McNeill’s choice, while Thomas’ hole-in-one meant $173,500 in cash and $50,000 to charity.
Here’s the @JustinThomas34 ace that earned everyone in the crowd $500 from Jim Justice. #QuickHitshttps://t.co/lUQ8YDIrzZ
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) July 2, 2015
However, even though Justice took out hole-in-one insurance, its all about the distance to the pin for the payouts to be covered. Meaning, you better have a good idea about the required minimum yardage–or pay out of your own pocket.
The charity took out an insurance policy on the payouts, but a federal appeals court says the policy only covered holes at least 170 yards long.
Old White Charities Inc. accused the insurer of breach of contract for not covering the payout, but the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected that claim.
