A Hamilton sheet metal worker who made the golf shot of his life is now $10,000 richer after sinking a hole-in-one at Ambassador Golf Club on Friday.
Kyle Giglia works for Lancaster Group, installing sheet metal on interior walls and ceiling panels at the NextStar Battery Plant in Windsor, Ont. He's been in Windsor since March and will be working on the project until it's complete.
He got a rare day off Friday, July 26, to play in the LiUNA! 625 annual Wally Dunn Memorial Classic, and he made the best of it.
Very early in the round on a shotgun start, Giglia stepped up to the tee on the 14th hole, which is a 205-yard, par three hole where the golfer must carry the shot over a lake. The hole was sponsored by St. Clair College's Alumni Association, where the first person who shoots a hole-in-one wins a $10,000 cash prize.
"It was playing into the wind over the water, so I clubbed up two clubs, and hit a three wood. I saw it hit the green, and I actually thought it was longer, so we didn't see where it went after that," Giglia recalled, noting it wasn't until they got down to the green when they realized what had happened.
"We walked up to the hole, and it was in the hole!" he said. "I couldn't believe it. I was shaking. I didn't know how to feel. It was crazy."
It wasn't long before Giglia realized there was a cash prize for making that hole-in-one.
"It's one of the most amazing phone calls I've ever received," said John Fairley, Senior Vice President of Communications, Advancement and External Affairs at St. Clair College, who took a call from Cathy Zaharchuk at LiUNA 625, who advised there was a $10,000 hole-in-one winner at their golf tournament. "I was pleased to join in the celebration with LiUNA 625 President Rob Petroni, Jeff Burrows and all the golfers and to congratulate Kyle, in person, on his amazing shot."
The St. Clair College Alumni Association sponsors about 30 different contests each season and has been doing so for nearly two decades. Astonishingly, this is the first time anyone has ever won the prize.
"A special thank you to the St. Clair College Alumni Association which has sponsored this contest for close to two decades at many tournaments throughout the summer, which keeps this dream alive for golfers," said Fairley.
Giglia was invited to play in the tournament by Hotham Building Materials, which is the supplier to Lancaster Group. Charlie Hotham, the CEO and company owner who also serves on St. Clair College's Board of Governors, played in the foursome with Giglia.
"It's the biggest project I've ever been on," Giglia said of the construction of the NextStar Battery facility. "It's crazy the amount of people on it."
As for his winnings, Giglia plans to spoil his seven-month-old child and his wife the next time he goes home to Hamilton. Meantime, Giglia said he will take his work friends out for dinner to celebrate.
