Golf

By PHIL HICKS
Sports Editor

When Bobby Painter walked to the tee box Sunday afternoon, he just wanted to hit a good shot.

Painter, of Gilmer, did just that — coming within 6 1/4 inches of hitting the jackpot.

Although he didn’t get the $1 million, Painter did come the closest to the hole as he was the winner in the UT Tyler Suddenlink Patriot Million Dollar Hole-In-One Contest at The Cascades Golf Club.

On a beautiful afternoon at the scenic Cascades course, 53 golfers had a shot at the top prize. They each qualified during the week at contest sites in Tyler and Longview.

Painter was nearest the hole, while Jack Sargent of Tyler was second (9 feet, 5 inches) and Jason Derebery of Hallsville was third (14 feet, 7 inches).

Painter earned a spot in the finals during the last day of qualifying Saturday in Longview. He was 44? inches from the hole during qualifying, but he came a lot closer on Sunday.

“This has been a fun experience,” said Painter, a math and science teacher at New Diana High School. “This is the first time I’ve had a chance to take part. My family and I moved here from Odessa last year.”

Painter won two round-trip airline tickets from American Airlines to anywhere in the contiguous United States. Sargent won a weekend and golf package to Westin Briarstone Resort in Frisco, while Derebery was presented a $400 gift certificate to Tiremax.

Painter was cheered on by his wife, Michelle, and their three boys — Avery, 11; Joshua, 8; and Jacob, 3. He said his wife is due in July with another boy, so travel plans are on hold for now.

As far as the contest, Painter used a 5-iron and had a solid swing. It hit on the green and rolled a bit before coming up just short.

Suddenlink Cable also donated $25,000 to the scholarship program.

Proceeds from the event benefit scholarship programs for students at UT Tyler’s campuses in Tyler, Longview and Palestine. The contests were coordinated by the UT Tyler Patriots and UT Tyler Longview University Center Patriots organizations. The UT Tyler Suddenlink Patriot Million Dollar Hole-in-One Contest, an official event of the UT Tyler Patriot Classic, is presented in conjunction with KLTV Channel 7, KTBB AM 600 Radio and Longview and Kilgore Cable TV.

Notes —

During the week, 18,377 shots were hit in Tyler, while 7,489 were hit in Longview. … Randy Roberts of Tyler won the plasma TV given away by Suddenlink. … The Million Dollar Mania winner was Robert Burton, who won a set of Adams golf clubs. … The Patriot Golf Classic is scheduled for Monday at Hollytree Country Club.

Updated Monday, May 19, 2008 at 11:35 a.m. CDT

TOP FINISHERS: Dr. Rodney H. Mabry, UT Tyler president, poses with UT Tyler Suddenlink Million Dollar Hole-In-One contestants Sunday at The Cacades Golf Club. In photo are (from left) Jack Sargent of Tyler (second place), Bobby Painter of Gilmer (first place), Dr. Mabry, and Jason Derebery of Hallsville (third place).
((Staff Photo By Phil Hicks))