Golfers ace the 18th hole, fans get a payout

Spectators seated at the 18th hole at The Greenbrier Classic might’ve been more excited Thursday than the two golfers who aced the par-3 final hole in the first round of the PGA Tour event.

That’s because of arguably the best promotion in sports that paid each fan at the 18th hole $100 for the first hole-in-one made there by George McNeill and $500 each for the second ace made by Justin Thomas.

If another golfer aces the 18th during the tournament, it will be pure bedlam as each fan will pocket $1,000 in cold, hard cash.

Greenbrier resort owner Jim Justice hands out the money himself, walking through the stands with a big bag of Benjamins.

Justice served spectators a total of $192,400 on Thursday — $18,900 for McNeill’s hole-in-one and $173,500 for Thomas’ ace.

With a grand per fan up for grabs for the third hole-in-one, people packed the bleachers and chanted “Hole-in-one! Hole-in-one!” as each player prepared to tee off.

Any hole-in-one after the first three won’t produce a payout. This PGA Tour season has already seen 32 aces after only 17 were made last season.

Tune in to The Golf Channel (Cox channel 339) at 1 p.m. Friday to check out the scene at No. 18. Another reason to watch is to see if Tiger Woods can keep his glutes activated after firing a first-round 66 that was his lowest official PGA Tour round in 16 months.