Essex Golfers To Shoot For $1m At The Masters
Two golfers from Essex could return from a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Masters a million dollars richer.
Brentwood teenager James Jensen, 17, and Mark Fairman, 48, from Ramsden Bellhouse, qualified for the Million Dollar Hole in One (MDHIO) final after both acing the exact same hole on the exact same course – just weeks apart.
The golfers were both fortunate that the MDHIO team were present on the seventh hole of Vale Do Lobo’s Royal Course, in Portugal’s Algarve, when they hit their respective 138-yard hole-in-ones, which not only won them a trip to the first Major of the year but also a chance to shoot for a $1m jackpot at a nearby course.
Jensen opted for a pitching wedge, while Fairman’s trusted eight-iron sunk the ace that will send them on their all-expense covered trip to America, courtesy of MDHIO.
Their
action-packed itinerary, which includes exclusive parties and events, will see
the finalists jet off today /Thursday, April 11, 2019.
Each finalist receives a day ticket to the Masters on Saturday, with the trip
also including rounds at the Columbia Country Club and at The Reserve Club – one of South Carolina’s top courses – where they will also contest the
MDHIO final on Masters Sunday.
Jensen, who is taking a well-deserved break from
his A-Level preparation for the trip, said: “It’s a
great opportunity to go to Augusta and have a chance to win the massive prize.
I know I’ll never forget it, even if I don’t
get the $1m hole-in-one.
“I feel so lucky to be going to the Masters. I
can’t wait to see some of the iconic holes at Amen
Corner but I’m most looking forward to being able to see
Tiger Woods play – as he’s such an icon of the game. Even people that
have never played golf know who he is, so it’s
very exciting that I get to see him play in real life.”
Fairman said: “I still can’t
believe I hit the original qualifying hole-in-one and am going to the Masters
for the first time!
“I haven’t been able to
practise as much as I would have liked and have only had the chance to play two
rounds of golf this year – the last being on March 7 –
but I’m still going to try my luck.
“I’d like to thank the MDHIO team for this
opportunity, it really is a great competition with unbelievable prizes.”
The MDHIO challenge has been running since 1990 in the USA and since 2000 in
Europe and sees more than 50,000 people each year trying their luck at more
than 40 par-three holes on courses across Portugal, mainland Spain and
Mallorca.
Each golfer pays €10 to enter and can also win a variety of
golf-related prizes for landing on the green, with only the people that shoot
aces invited to the trip and the MDHIO final.
The current MDHIO season is underway across Europe, with competitors shooting
for the chance to win a trip to the 2020 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits.
n To discover where MDHIO can be played visit www.mdhio.net/golf-courses.
