GOLFWEEK STAFF The son of Irish golfer Des Smyth hit the jackpot on the Emerald Isle.
Greg Smyth, 24, won nearly $14 million in the Irish National Lottery, the Champions Tour announced Aug. 14.
Smyth, of Baltray, County Louth, is studying for a degree in horticulture.
His father, who is playing in this week’s Jeld-Wen Tradition in Sunriver, Ore., called the news “surreal.”
“Being so far away from things, it’s hard to grasp,” said Smyth, who shot 1-under 71 and is four strokes off the lead. “We got a call in the hotel at 6:20 a.m. this morning. Usually when you get a call that early, it’s not good, but he assured us right at the start that it was good news he was about to tell us. I played today but honestly can’t remember a single shot I hit. I was thinking about him all day. He’ll be well advised for sure. I just hope he takes it.”
The elder Smyth, 55, is a two-time winner in six seasons on the
Champions Tour. This year, he is 74th on the money list with $123,132.
Greg Smyth bought the 4-euro quick-pick ticket Aug. 13 in Drogheda, where the family resides. He discovered that he had won while eating breakfast.
The winning ticket was worth 9,426,636 euros, or $13,962,612 at today’s exchange rate.
Posted: 8/14/2008
print
email
discuss
