Not only did he have a good day of golfing, he said, but he won a $1,000 prize for his golf ball getting closest to the hole on the 16th hole the day of the outing. “That was pretty good,” stated Mercer County Golf Club Golf Professional Kirk Stucke, who added that the winner of the “closest to the pin” contest had to be within 12 inches of the hole. “That was a good shot,” he added.
Zechar took the shot from 169 yards away. In order to receive the $1,000 prize, verification was needed by Zechar’s team mates and by two State of the Heart volunteer hole sitters who were there to witness the shot. Zechar is an avid golfer and plays five days a week.
Pictured here is Ryan Gathard, left, Fund Development Director and golf outing coordinator, and Gary Zechar. “I think having the ‘closest to the pin’ contest added a new competitive opportunity for the players,” Gathard said.