Former Commodities Exchange chairman Marty Greenberg has been denied his $1 million prize money for hitting a hole-in-one at a recent charity golf tournament after it was claimed the course was improperly shortened.
The insurer backing the Alonzo Mourning Charities tournament at Donald Trump‘s National Golf Club in Briarcliff Manor, NY, in August is refusing to pay up, claiming Greenberg’s required 150-yard shot had been secretly shortened to 139 yards.
Former NBA star Mourning’s charity, which benefits urban youth, hired events manager Florida Team Golf to run the tournament. FTG brought in insurance company Odds on Promotions to underwrite the $1 million prize for a hole-in-one.
Odds On Promotions president Mark Gilmartin told us that, according to the rules, the hole-in-one had to be at least 150 yards to qualify for the prize. But when they scrutinized the videotape of Greenberg’s shot, they determined it was short.
“It’s obvious that Mr. Greenberg made his hole-in-one 12 to 15 yards less than the 150 yards,” said Gilmartin. He claimed that when his team arrived on the course to measure the shot, the tees had been moved back from the tape-recorded tee-off location in order to achieve the proper yardage.
Odds On then denied FTG’s claim for the prize money. FTG declined to comment.
Mourning and Greenberg, showing breathtaking patience, said in a joint statement: “We are confident that any potential issues will be resolved quickly and amicably so that AMC can continue its longstanding commitment to inner-city children.”
Greenberg, who’s the founder and CEO of Sterling Commodities Corp., said he wasn’t going to throw down his 9-iron, and added, “I’m excited to play again next year to go for another hole-in-one.”
While it’s unclear who’s at fault, Donald Trump said of the snafu, “We have nothing to do with the incident, other than they use our venue because it’s the best.”