There wasn’t a million-dollar winner again this year in the Psalm 23 Million Dollar Charity Hole-In-One Contest at the 108 Golf Resort, Aug. 10-19.
However, the top 10 contestants shared in mountain of prizes valued at $4,600.
To win the cash grand prize, contestants had to sink a hole-in-one at approximately 170 yards on hole #10 during the Aug. 19 final.
Defending champion Shane Wilkie of 100 Mile House came 34 feet 10 inches short of that mark but still claimed first place for the second consecutive year. His winnings included a custom pocket watch, valued at $500, a handmade leather gun case, a winter jacket, a golf club and a gift certificate for a local restaurant. Wilkie had to use the back door to advance in the competition after not making a qualifying shot during the quarter-final qualifier period. As last year’s champion, he was allowed three free shots in the quarter-final anyway, which brought success and the ticket to move ahead.
Second place went to Peggy Pukacz of Williams Lake who landed her ball 135 feet off the mark. Miles Bucknell of 100 Mile House was third.
Approximately $1,000 in prize merchandise was awarded daily Aug. 10-18 during the qualifiers, and in total, some $14,000 worth of merchandise was given away during the competition.
This year’s event featured a new competition for businesses and the Business Cup winner was Bell-E-Acres Recreation Golf Course of Williams Lake. The 108 Golf Resort took second place, and third went to Psalm 23 Transition Society.
The event attracted about 25 contestants each day and raised $5,100 for the society, which president/executive director Marvin Declare says was a nice improvement over last year’s $3,400. Six hole-in-ones were sunk over the course of the nine-day qualifying period.
Declare says the event was a success in many ways other than just raising money.
“It was a real enjoyable day watching youth and families come out. The students of our program were there every single day and they worked hard and benefited by learning to live with life situations. They got to meet members of the community and were able to feel appreciated in that respect.
“For us, it’s all about building relationships.”