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Eleven-year-old Elijah Ellis has become the youngest-ever winner of the top $10,000 cash prize at the Lake Taupō Hole-in-One Challenge.
The young Tauranga golfer was in Taupō for the Bay of Plenty Age Group Championships when he decided to take on the hole-in-one challenge after breakfast this morning.
The challenge offers its ultimate prize of $10,000 to anyone who can hit their ball 102 metres from the tee to the red-flagged hole on a pontoon in the lake.
Elijah said he was halfway through his bucket of 50 balls when he hit the winning shot.
Elijah Ellis, 11, wins the ultimate $10k prize in the Lake Taupō Hole-in-One Challenge.
“I said, ‘Go on, go in!’ Everyone thought it didn’t go in, but then I screamed, ‘It did!’
“I thought I was dreaming,” he said.
“There was a big crowd and they started to cheer too.”
The 11-year-old said he had tried the challenge before, but it was his dad, Tristan Ellis, who had scored a hole-in-one after hitting the ball into the 50cm white-flagged sand hole, winning a local sponsor’s prize.
Elijah said he was still in shock after winning the ultimate prize, but he already knew what he would spend his money on.
“I want to take my family on a holiday to Australia.”
It has been a big year for the young golfer, who won the Tauranga Golf Club Men’s Intermediate Championship and had a record-breaking round of 57 off the junior purple tees – the lowest score at Tauranga Golf Course – just last month.
Elijah placed fourth in the Bay of Plenty Age Group Championships at the weekend and was enjoying an extra few days in Taupō with his family when he took on the Hole-in-One challenge.
Elijah Ellis, 11, pictured with sister Tania Ellis, won the ultimate $10k prize in the Lake Taupō Hole-in-One Challenge.
His mum, Sheree Ellis, said they had surprised Elijah with a stay at the Lake Taupo Holiday Resort to celebrate his upcoming birthday.
So to see her son win the Hole-in-One challenge had made the trip to Taupō even more special.
“The first thing he said when he won was that he was going to take us all on a family holiday,” Sheree said.
“We haven’t had a family holiday since Covid and have been wanting to go to Australia this time next year. So it has really paid off.”
Lake Taupō Hole-in-One Challenge main supervisor and diver Lance Morris said Elijah was now the youngest $10,000 winner.
“The last time Elijah was here, he was on a 20 handicap and now he’s on a 6. It is always awesome to see the young ones improving.”
Morris said the youngest person to score a hole-in-one was an 8-year-old who won the local sponsors prize, but Elijah is now the youngest winner of the cash prize.
“The record was 14 and now it is 11,” he said.
“He is the fourth hole-in-one winner of the $10,000 prize this year, but he is certainly the youngest.”
The previous youngest winner was 14-year-old Kevin Bang from Rotorua who won it in January this year.
Morris said it was always exciting when someone scored a hole-in-one on the challenge.
“Even for us, we don’t know straight away if it’s happened or not because it happens so quickly.
