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Golfer Wins $1 Million for Astounding Hole-in-1, Jealousy Abounds

Gabe Zaldivar@gabezalX.com LogoPop Culture Lead WriterAugust 23, 2013

Jeff Barton teed off on the ninth hole at the Corley's Albuquerque Lincoln Volvo Golf Tournament on Thursday in New Mexico with the hopes of sinking a hole-in-one and winning a million bucks. He did just that. 

And the somewhat sizable crowd goes wild in a sensible manner!

UPDATE: Friday, August 30, 5:15 p.m. ET by Gabe Zaldivar

And just as I thought: The key to golf is being reasonably sauced while playing. 

Bob's Blitz updates their previous post with a report that states Barton may have been inebriated when he dropped a hole-in-one. Yes, this story just got better, via GoErieBlogs.com

Barton was in a clubhouse bar with his boss from a hospital machinery distributor when his name was picked, and did not have his clubs with him. So he had to borrow a left-handed 8-iron.

After the first four players hit the green, the fifth guy hit it into the water, and, according to Williams, Barton was relieved.

“He said  ’I can’t embarrass myself any more than that guy’, then his boss handed him a beer and told him to chug it, then swing away,” Wiliams said. 

Sure, it may have been one drink and Barton may have been sober, but we like to think he was hiccuping all the way to the tee box. 

End of Update---

Bob's Blitz spots the one video that proves a day of golf isn't always comprised of balls lost in the lake or putts missed from five feet out. 

No, sometimes golf can be pretty darn great. 

According to the report, this annual tournament hosted by East Mountain High School in Sandia Park, N.M., took place at Paa-ko Ridge Golf Club. The $125 entry fee seems like a good chunk of change to enter a tourney, but you also get the chance to win either a Lincoln MKZ Hybrid or $1 million.  

We will let KOB News 4's J.P. Murrieta explain what happened next.

congrats to Jeff Barton who won $1million with a hole in one on Paa-Ko Thurs night at fundraiser for East Mountain HS #OneMeeeelionDollars!

— J.P. Murrieta (@KOBSports) August 23, 2013 

Mackenzie Bishop gives us a closeup of the ball resting comfortably in the cup.

Someone hit a hole in one for a million bucks at the #EMHS tournament. Unreal. #Witness pic.twitter.com/IwuKCG05Qb

— Mackenzie Bishop  (@abrazomack) August 23, 2013

According to East Mountain High website, the odds of Barton's feat were 12,500 to 1 and the $1 million prize money is covered by an insurance policy.

Now, we should probably have warned you earlier, but the video features the shakiest footage this side of Saving Private Ryan. We will forgive our cameraman, because he has the good sense to capture the moment that truly matters. 

We get to see the ball hit the green and roll ever so beautifully to the hole, giving this random golfer the story of his life. 

From there, the gallery hoping to catch a hole-in-one gets exactly what they were waiting for, and they go absolutely insane—albeit in a refined and polite manner. 

High-fives and cheers abound as Barton gets $1 million richer. That last point is important, because drinks are on him. 

Rules are rules, after all. 

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