Holes-in-one are commonplace and, nowadays, it probably takes three players to win Lamborghinis in one week, as happened at the LPGA’s Pelican Women’s Championship, to make headlines. Either that, or a hole-in-one story that goes wrong. There are plenty of these, but the one I remember is attached to Argentina’s Eduardo Romero in the 2000 Qatar Masters.
Romero was playing with Seve Ballesteros and nothing of note was happening until, at a 176-yard par-3, the Argentinian had the first of several shocks to his system. With the lower half of the flag hidden from view, the two were up at the green before a referee advised that Romero’s ball was in the hole.
The round over, Qatari Golf Federation informed Romero that he had won himself a BMW and Romero, laughing hugely at his good fortune, was introduced to the vehicle at the BMW stand. It was a spectacular, £40,595 M Roadster in a metallic red.
Reporters and photographers gathered at the scene as Romero kissed the car for the cameras and even, for the purposes of CNN, came up with a proprietorial, “Would you like to see inside my car?†As it turned out, the car was locked.
Members of the media began to drift away when an official in dish-dash, asked for a word in the golfer’s ear.
In a revelation to leave Romero open-mouthed, the gentleman said that the car with which he had been photographed was not his prize. That vehicle was purely for show. His car was a green, £28,145 Z3 Roadster 2.8.
The inferior vehicle – it was a particularly sickly shade of green – pulled up as he spoke before, in the most seamless of moves, the driver switched from that vehicle to the red edition before making off at speed.
“But I was photographed with the red one,†said a disbelieving Romero as he watched the car disappear from view. “Surely, that is my prize.â€
After the most genteel of arguments, it was decided that Romero would pick up his prize – the lesser one – from the BMW agent in Cordoba. (By then, Romero had probably decided that things could have been worse in that there was a motorbike sitting next to the green car.)
Five months later, at the Irish Open, I asked Romero if the situation had sorted itself out. He smiled and shook his head. And when, a few months further on, I asked for the latest news, he said that it was only after he and his lawyer had said “N†to an offer of £9,000 that the car had turned up at his door. This time, he viewed it with a less-jaundiced eye. Indeed, he saw its arrival as a more than minor triumph.
E-MAIL LEWINE
Lewine Mair
