New millionaire “19th Hole” bought his life-changing ticket after playing a round of golf.
Leisure time on the links bracketed by ticket purchases, with second one paying off big
An enthusiastic Maryland Lottery scratch-off player from Delmar has found himself feeling excited by relatively small wins in the past. But he may have been a little overwhelmed recently when he won a $1 million prize.
“I’ve been more excited for a $1,000 win. This one was more of a shock,” the winner said May 1 at Lottery headquarters after claiming his prize on the $20 ticket $1 Million Royale.
Going by the name “19th Hole” in recognition of his love of golf, the winner reports he was headed out to play a round at Nutters Crossing Golf Club and stopped at the nearby Express Lane convenience store at 4912 Snow Hill Road in Salisbury. He bought a single ticket, scratched it and it was not a winner.
After playing his round of golf, he stopped at the store again, bought another ticket and became a millionaire. But he was confused at first because when he scanned the ticket’s QR code in the store, the screen said $1 million, but the word “million” is also part of the ticket’s name.
He took the ticket to the parking lot and used the Maryland Lottery mobile app on his phone to scan the ticket again. “Not a winner,” read the message on the screen — but that was because he had scanned the ticket he bought before playing golf. When he checked the right ticket, the app confirmed the windfall prize. Then he went back into the store to show the clerk, who was astonished, but low key in his response.
“He’s a quiet guy,” the winner said.
Coincidentally, about 15 seconds after “19th Hole” confirmed his ticket was a winner, the Wicomico County resident got a phone call from his wife, who was at work and on a break.
“He was stuttering pretty good,” she said. After he told her about the win, she was in a bit of disbelief and told him a few times, “Shut up!”
The winner is “absolutely!” a regular scratch-off player, according to his wife. He confirmed, saying, “I’ve played since — forever.”
Asked about plans for the winnings, “19th Hole” said, “Just Invest,” and his wife said, “Retire early.”
The Express Lane store receives a bonus of $1,000 for selling the top-tier winning scratch-off ticket.
The $1 Million Royale ticket went on sale starting in July of 2023 with seven $1 million top prizes, and “19th Hole” was the fourth person to win one of them, leaving three of the $1 million prizes still unclaimed as of May 1, along with two prizes at the $50,000 level, 29 prizes of $10,000 and thousands of others ranging from $20 to $5,000.
