STATELINE, Nev. (AP) — Joe Sakic, a 13-time N.H.L. All-Star, picked a good spot for his first hole in one — a $1 million two-hopper into the cup on the waterfront par-3 17th on Sunday at the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship at Lake Tahoe.
“That’s a shot you never imagine hitting,” said Sakic, who won two Stanley Cups and a Most Valuable Player trophy with the Colorado Avalanche. “I’ve never even been close before.”
For the last three years, any player hitting an ace on No. 17 at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course earned a $1 million bonus from the tournament sponsor, American Century. The company stipulates that half of the prize go to its primary charity benefactor, so Sakic will split the $1 million with Lance Armstrong’s Livestrong Foundation for cancer research.
“If you’re going to do it, why not here?” he said. “When it went in, I didn’t believe it.”
Sakic said he used an 8-iron for the ace on the 167-yard hole. It was the fourth hole in one in the tournament’s 22-year history.
Sakic could not tell at first if the ball went in the cup, but he jumped in the air with his arms raised when he got the word it had bounced into the hole from in front of the pin. He exchanged high-fives with his playing partners, Trent Dilfer and Greg Maddux, then slapped hands with fans along the ropes as he made his way to the green.
NY Times
“That’s a shot you never imagine hitting,” said Sakic, who won two Stanley Cups and a Most Valuable Player trophy with the Colorado Avalanche. “I’ve never even been close before.”
For the last three years, any player hitting an ace on No. 17 at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course earned a $1 million bonus from the tournament sponsor, American Century. The company stipulates that half of the prize go to its primary charity benefactor, so Sakic will split the $1 million with Lance Armstrong’s Livestrong Foundation for cancer research.
“If you’re going to do it, why not here?” he said. “When it went in, I didn’t believe it.”
Sakic said he used an 8-iron for the ace on the 167-yard hole. It was the fourth hole in one in the tournament’s 22-year history.
Sakic could not tell at first if the ball went in the cup, but he jumped in the air with his arms raised when he got the word it had bounced into the hole from in front of the pin. He exchanged high-fives with his playing partners, Trent Dilfer and Greg Maddux, then slapped hands with fans along the ropes as he made his way to the green.
NY Times
