JOHN Terlaje may not have made it to the top three in the C Flight division of the Northern Marianas College Golf Open held over the weekend at Laolao Bay Golf & Resort, but he made a hole-in-one to win a brand new 2023 Hyundai IONIQ 5 SEL from Triple J.
Known as the premier golf tournament on island, the NMC Open this year was, for the first time, a two-day event with amazing hole-in-one prizes, but only Terlaje was lucky enough to ace a hole.
It happened on day 1 of the tournament, Saturday, on hole #4 of the east course.
It was a par 3 hole. “I thought I hit it really strong and that it was going to pass the green,” Terlaje said. “But when it landed on the green, it kept rolling and then the ball disappeared out of sight and suddenly everyone was yelling!”
He added, “This is my first-ever hole-in-one. I’m very happy.”
When asked what he was going to do with his brand new car from Triple J, he said, “I believe my wife is going to take it,” and smiled.
Terlaje played in the C Flight division and shot a gross of 87 on day 1 and a gross of 102 on day 2 for a total gross score of 189. He finished 13th overall.
Terlaje, who works at the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation as a physical therapy technician, said: “I would like to thank Triple J for donating this car and NMC for this wonderful tournament.”
The last time a hole-in-one was made in the annual tournament was 10 years ago.
The tournament, which is the signature event of the NMC Foundation, aims to raise funds for the college for its rebuilding and reconstruction efforts.
This year’s NMC Golf Open winners will be featured in the next edition of Variety.
John Terlaje, second left, poses with the brand new 2023 Hyundai IONIQ 5 SEL he won for making a hole in one during the NMC Golf Open at Laolao Bay Golf & Resort on Saturday. Also in photo are Triple J Vice President for Finance & Administration Michael Sablan, Gov. Arnold I. Palacios, Triple J Motors General Manager Sean Ficke, Northern Marianas College President Galvin Deleon Guerrero, EdD, and NMC Vice President for Administration and Advancement Frankie Eliptico.
