Ace golfer feels like a million bucks

SPRINGVILLE — Every golfer dreams of making that once-in-a-lifetime shot, a shot under pressure to win a big and prestigious tournament in front of hundreds of screaming fans.

Jason Hargett, a 35-year-old scratch golfer from Springville, made a dream shot Tuesday that might top the wildest golf dream imaginable.

At the Mark Eaton Celebrity Golf Classic at Red Ledges Golf Resort east of Heber City, Hargett made an ace in a post-tournament hole-in-one contest to win $1 million. Today, Hargett, a Provo restaurant manager, is still trying to convince himself that he really is golf's newest millionaire.

"I'm still in disbelief. I can't really comprehend what it means," Hargett said. "I just keep seeing that shot over and over in my head and keep saying to myself, 'There's no way that it really went in.' "

During Eaton's four-man scramble charity tournament, six players who hit it closest to the hole on a par-3 were invited to participate in the hole-in-one contest on the driving range following lunch and the awards presentation.

The hole was 150 yards away, cut on a rough temporary green on the driving range. Hargett, the second of the six contestants to hit, struck a smooth nine-iron shot that landed about 10 feet past and a little right of the hole. Slowly, it trickled backward until finally wobbling into the cup.

Hargett, and those around him, immediately erupted into pandemonium. After jumping in the air and running down the hill and toward the hole, and after being tackled by former BYU quarterback Robbie Bosco, his scramble teammate, Hargett lay on the ground in disbelief.

"It was so weird," he said. "The whole thing was bizarre. I just couldn't believe that it was real."

But it was real. Tournament officials at the hole confirmed to Hargett that his shot did indeed settle into the cup, and they allowed him to be the one to remove the precious ball from the $1 million hole.

Moments earlier Hargett had informed his wife, Amyee, that he'd be a little late coming home because he had earned the right to participate in the contest. Moments after pulling his ball from the cup he sent her a text saying, "your life has just changed." After his wife responded back with a "you're kidding me" text, Hargett called to confirm to Amyee that their life was indeed about to change.

"I couldn't even talk," he said. "I felt like I was going to pass out."