That’s a hole-in-one for Brooke Matthews! A first for her career, the shot looked almost majestic as the ball landed softly and tracked straight into the 12th hole. A 143-yard distance. As Matthews celebrated with her team, a flashy white Lamborghini Huracán took the spotlight behind her. When the camera rolled in, for a moment, it looked like the American had won the flashy car for her feat. But, in actuality, it’s only a two-year lease. Now that seems odd, until Jenny Shin pointed out the real reason.

The debate started when several fans argued whether The ANNIKA should have shown the car only if it’s truly awarded outright, and not just leased. In all rationality, that does make sense. But Shin, who herself competed in the event and finished T52, shared the actual reason behind it.

“First year 4 players won the car, no one wanted it because of high taxes and insurance, that’s why they changed it!” she wrote from her X account.

That’s an unexpected insight into the Tour economics. But turns out it’s factually correct. Jenny Shin was referring to the tournament’s 2021 edition, which was then known as the Pelican Women’s Championship. Back then, three players – Austin Ernst, Pavarisa Yoktuan, and Su Oh – all made an ace. As a result, they were set to receive a Lamborghini Huracán, which cost the sponsor Morgan Auto Group approximately $300,000 in hole-in-one insurance payouts. But even if the gift sounded like a headliner, the players ended up actually not collecting in.

Their reason was what Shin points out. Taxes and insurance. A Lamborghini Huracán has a $248,000 sticker price. If you bring in its per-month lease, it will stand somewhere around $4,800. That amount becomes taxable income for the player. That’s before factoring in state taxes in Florida, where the event is held. On top of that comes the insurance on a luxury performance vehicle. Add all that, and it lands on the players, not the sponsors.

So, of course, the players refused to take in the prize. Hence, this prompted the tournament to shift towards a more manageable option. Now the players can walk off with a lease that ends cleanly after two years. They also have an option to decline the vehicle altogether and take a cash alternative instead.

And in retrospect, this might seem like a better option for the players. As one user pointed out, the golfers are almost always on the road. They barely use a car for travel. So none of these taxes and insurances are actually worth it. Take Xander Schauffele, for example. His PGA Tour earnings are more than $62 million, yet he drives an old Toyota Camry from 2016. And when push comes to shove, he uses rental cars to travel to and fro.

Jenny Shin used to do the same. But that was before the rental at the Vegas airport started biting her pockets. She ended up buying a car eventually. However, if you think golf does not offer luxury cars as a prize, then you are wrong.

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Hole-in-one car prizes across Tours

Hole-in-one car prizes have become a defining sponsorship feature across both the men’s and women’s Tours. Take, for instance, the BMW Ladies Championship. As the name suggests, the event is sponsored by BMW and offers three different cars across three par-3 holes. Several winners like Kristan Gillman (2019), Na Yeon Choi (2022), and Ariya Jutanugarn (2022) have taken the keys to their new cars home. In fact, just this year, Lucy Li won a BMW i7 eDrive 50, a brand-new electric car.

Other championships, including the majors, have also entered this picture. Starting this year, the Chevron Championship announced that it will sponsor the Hole In One Challenge and will provide a complimentary Cadillac VISITQ to the pro who makes a hole-in-one on the 12th hole. On the men’s side, Nico Echavarria won a Genesis GV60 for his hole-in-one at the Genesis Scottish Open this year. Then, back in 2013, Hunter Mahan won a BMW i3 after making an ace on the 17th hole at the BMW Championship.

As more money comes into the golf world, through PIF and other notable businesses, the prospects of such prizes are bound to increase. Yet, there’s no diversion from state taxes, a golfer’s biggest enemy.