Sun City’s own Relay for Life team secured two tickets to the National Golf Club Practice Rounds on April 9, 2019.
Bob Ibach, a member of the Relay team and a cancer survivor, got the tickets for the Cancer Relay for Life fundraiser.
“These tickets are at the beautiful Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. And only 2500 tickets will be sold.”
The Relay team chose a winner from the barrel of tickets from the very successful ticket sales by the Sun City Relay team. A $10 entry allowed the winner, Steve Gorman, entry to this event.
Gorman said, “I’ve entered that lottery that they have for 30 or more years and never won, so this is unbelievable. I got a call from Chris [Chris Bona at Boulder Ridge CC] and he said, ‘Steve, we have some really good news for you. Do you play the lottery?’ Well, I laughed and told Chris that I had just played the Illinois Lottery this week, but lost again. And then Chris said that my lottery ticket from the golf event at Boulder Ridge this summer had been drawn last night and that I won two practice round tickets to the Masters’ next spring. All I could say was wow…after 30 years of trying, I finally won!”
Getting tickets to attend the U.S. Open and PGA Championship is relatively easy, but to get admission into the Masters is a different story. The August National Golf Club has an annual lottery, which is the best way to get into the sacred grounds of Augusta National Golf Club. You can sign up online for the days and the number of tickets you want. You then hope and pray you to get that email stating you have been selected.
Steve is 74 and has been in the mortgage banking business for more than 40 years. He is a prostate cancer survivor, too. He is married and has 3 children and 4 grandchildren and has selected to share his winnings with one of his children.
“I am an avid golfer and have been playing for around 45 years. I have been there before and it’s a fabulous place to go. I am looking forward to sharing that experience with my son next spring,” he said.
These treasured tickets are sought annually. A Twitter quote from @NYC_Chris sums up most fans thoughts: “Losing the Masters Ticket Lottery: A tradition unlike any other.”
