9-21-2024 10:49pm

Twenty Five Female Golfers Accept Challenge To Shoot A Hole in One To Win $500,000

Beth Callahan Editor

“Hole in One” competition at Tournament Players Club (TPC), River’s Bend Golf Course, Maineville, Ohio, with Lady Knights Marlee Combs and Gracie Braucher, both varsity golf seniors at Kings High School.

STORY AND PHOTOS BY SHEILA BROWN

MAINEVILLE, OH -- To help start kick the 2024 Kroger Queen City Championship presented by P&G at TPC River's Bend this past week, a “Hole in One” competition was held on the 7th Hole on Tuesday.

Vying for the “Hole in One” prize money of $500,000 were fifteen golfers representing the Ladies Professional Golfers Association (LPGA) and two Ohio high schools, each with five players.

Warren County's Kings High School (KHS), home of Lady Knights, and
Mount Notre Dame High School (MND), home of the Cougars out of Hamilton County.

Official Rules were explained and agreed to by signatures of each high school competitor. Regarding the prize money, if a high school golfer made a hole in one, the prize money went to the athletic program of the school they represented.

The TPC’s 7th Hole was a challenge, 158 yards, par 3. The flagstick marking the cup was near the middle of the green, its flag blowing in a slight wind from an easterly direction. Down the fairway, water was on the left, not a puddle, not a lake, but a mid-sized pond. The right was bordered with thick, knee-high weeds appropriately called “rough.”

The goal was a “Hole in One.”

Nelly Korda, the Number 1 Female Golfer in the world, teed off first, followed by Solheim Cup winners and Olympian Medalists. Not all the professional golfers hit the green; there were some “worm burners.” Their choice of club ranged from an 8 iron to a pitching wedge. When a professional golfer “chunked” a shot, they laughed. Not all high school golfers hit the green, but they did hit the ball.

The rules were as follows:

(1) Each player will have one swing, no practice swing. (2) Each player will have 90 seconds to complete their swing. (3) Each high school golfer will receive a goodie bag with merchandise.

According to Brian “Bip” Parkhurst, a 9-year Varsity Coach at KHS, “This is a once in a lifetime experience to socialize with members of LPGA. Aside from the physical benefits of exercise, golf helps build confidence, teaches patience, rewards hard work, and improves critical thinking skills. We were thrilled and beyond excited to be invited to participate in the ‘Hole in One’ competition.”

Ann Glubzinske, a 3-year Junior Varsity Coach at KHS, reflects on her journey with Kings Lady Knights, “It is an honor to coach this wonderful group of young women. Some enter the Kings golf program with very little golf experience. No matter where they begin, watching these girls improve their game is rewarding. More importantly, they are learning to recovery quickly from difficult situations on the golf course and they are building effective teamwork, which are valuable life-long skills.”

Sponsors and contributors invested generously to this competition:

Proctor & Gamble (P&G), the Tide & Downy Brand Teams and the Kroger Queen City Championship, presented by P&G, planned, organized and funded this “Hole in One” event.

The landscapes at TPC were picture perfect throughout the course, the grounds were an aesthetic blend of outdoor labor and creativity. Their hospitality made players and guests feel welcome, valued and comfortable, they provided a positive experience on the arrival and departure of competitors and guests.

Young women from all over the world, members of LPGA, socialized and inspired the “Hole in One” competitors, their families and on-looking friends of golf. They laughed and grooved to the dis jockey’s music. One professional golfer wore high-top shoes, she forgot her golf shoes, imitating the lives of those high school golfers surrounding her, as they, too, have forgotten a glove or visor in their rush to practice or get to a location on time.

The “Hole in One” experience will live on the memories of the LPGA and high school golfers. American golfer Ben Hogan (8/13/1912 – 7/25/97) is quoted, “The most important shot in golf is the next one.”