Louisville, KY. – A Louisville woman became the first female to ever get closest to winning the Stock Yards Bank Derby Festival $1 Million Dollar Hole-In-One Golf Contest. Jessica Grainger came closest to the pin tonight at Seneca Golf Course, hitting her tee shot 9 feet 2 ¼ inches from the cup. She won the $5,000 first prize.
This was the first time Grainger has qualified for the finals. “I can’t believe it! Usually, I’m cheering my husband on in the finals and this year it was me.” Grainger also won the Long Drive Competition in the women’s division.
It was a beautiful night for the finals competition at Seneca, as a crowd gathered to watch the 56 Finalists. Any golfer who made a hole-in-one during the qualifying rounds automatically qualified for the Finals and a shot at the $1 million. Any amateur player was eligible to enter. Everyone from scratch golfers to duffers took a swing at qualifying. This was the 29th year for the golf competition. No one has been able to ace Hole #8 at Seneca Golf Course yet.
The preliminaries were held at the Seneca Golf Course Driving Range. The contest started April 19 and ran through April 29. Each shot was only $1, with special prices available for more than one shot.
Stock Yards Bank is the title sponsor of the event. Contributing Sponsor is Louisville Parks & Recreation, joining Media Sponsors WLKY TV, 840WHAS and Insider Louisville
Since 1956, the Derby Festival has worked to bring the community together in celebration. The Festival is an independent community organization supported by 4,000 volunteers, 400 businesses and civic groups, Pegasus Pin sponsorships and event participation. This involvement has made the Festival the largest single attended event in Kentucky and one of the leading community celebrations in the world.
