Utah golfer gets hole-in-one at Red Ledges for $1 million

From staff and wire reports

From No. 1 on ESPN’s plays of the day to $1 million, Jason Hargett made the most of his first hole-in-one.

Eaton, a resident of Springville, Utah, became an instant millionaire Tuesday after he made an amazing hole-in-one shot during a charity tournament at Red Ledges, the new Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course in Heber City, just outside Park City.

The 34-year-old Hargett was playing in the Mark Eaton Celebrity Golf Classic, when he stepped up to the 150-yard shot, took out the 9-iron from a borrowed set of clubs, and put the ball right into the hole with no practice swing.

"It's just, oh it's hard to take in. I can't even comprehend it," said a speechless Jason during a press conference about his shot. "I just told myself to make a good swing and then I thought it needed to go left a little bit more...It hit above and to the right of the pin and it spun a little diagonal coming straight down into the hole."

"I don't think I have stopped smiling in 24 hours," said Jason's wife, Amyee.

The golf tournament was held at Red Ledges golf club to benefit the Treasure Chest Fund at the University of Utah's Diabetes Center.

At the end of the tournament six players were chosen to have a chance at the million-dollar shot.

"It was an exciting event and I couldn't be happier," said Mark Eaton, the former Utah Jazz star, as he handed Jason and his wife an oversized mock check made out for $1,000,000.

The amazing thing is Jason, who is an amateur, was a last-minute substitute replacement in a foursome.

"I wasn't even going to play in it, and I turned them down at first," said Jason.

Jason is a general manager of a steak house in Provo. When asked about keeping his job, he said, "Yeah, I'm going to keep my day job.”

He said right now they have no big plans on what to spend the money.

"Take it at a little bit at a time,” he said. “I don't know if we want to change much. Things may come easier.”

The Hargetts have four children, ranging in age from 17 to 10 years old.

"My 13-year-old told me, ‘Don't be stupid and blow it all,’ " said Amyee.