Eleven-year-old Elijah Ellis has made history as the youngest-ever winner of the Lake Taupō Hole in One Challenge’s $10,000 grand prize.

The Tauranga golfer’s stunning shot came on the heels of the Bay of Plenty Age Group Championships, where he was competing over the weekend.

On  Monday morning, Elijah decided to take on the Hole in One challenge after breakfast while enjoying Taupō with his family. The challenge requires golfers to hit a ball 102 metres from the tee to a red flag, with the ultimate prize of $10,000 for a successful shot.

After working halfway through a bucket of 50 balls, Elijah finally made his winning shot.

“I said, ‘Go on, go in!’ Everyone thought it didn’t go in, but then I screamed, ‘It did!’ I thought I was dreaming,” he said.

“There was a big crowd, and they started to cheer too.”

The young golfer said he had tried the challenge before, and his father, Tristan Ellis, had previously won a local sponsor’s prize by hitting the ball into the white flag – a 50cm sand hole.  But it was his son who would take home the big prize, becoming the youngest person to ever win the $10,000 reward.

Elijah Ellis, 11, wins the ultimate $10,000 prize in the Lake Taupō Hole in One Challenge.

Despite the shock of his victory, Elijah already knew exactly how he would spend the money.

“I want to take my family on a holiday to Australia,” he said.

The win caps off a remarkable year for the young golfer. In October, Elijah made headlines earning the title of Men’s Intermediate Champion and making a record-breaking round of 57 off the junior purple tees at Tauranga Golf Course.

On the weekend, he placed fourth in the Bay of Plenty Age Group Championships, before enjoying a few extra days in Taupō to unwind with his family when he took on the Hole in One challenge.

Elijah’s mother, Sheree Ellis, shared that the family had planned a surprise stay at Lake Taupō Holiday Resort to celebrate his upcoming birthday. Little did they know, the trip would turn into an unforgettable moment for the entire family.

“The first thing he said when he won was that he was going to take us all on a family holiday,” Sheree said.

“We haven’t had a family holiday since Covid, and we’ve been wanting to go to Australia this time next year. So, it has really paid off.”

In October, 2024, Tania Ellis, 17, won the Tauranga Golf Club Women's Senior Championships while her brother Elijah Ellis, 11, won the Tauranga Golf Club Men's Intermediate Championship on Sunday, October 6, 2024. Photo / Supplied.

Elijah’s achievement was also celebrated by Lance Morris, the main supervisor and diver for the Hole in One challenge, who noted the young golfer’s rapid improvement.

“The last time Elijah was here, he was on a 20 handicap, and now he’s down to a 6,” Morris said. “It’s always awesome to see the young ones improving.”

Morris also highlighted Elijah’s place in the challenge’s history, as the previous youngest winner of the $10,000 prize was 14 years old.

Morris said the youngest person to score a hole in one was an eight-year-old who won the local sponsor's prize, but Elijah is now the youngest winner of the cash prize. He is now the fourth person to win the grand prize in 2024.

Morris said it was always exciting when someone scores a hole in one on the challenge.

“Even for us we don’t know straight away if it’s happened or not because it happens so quickly," Morris said. 

“The ball suddenly disappears and there is about a five or six second delay before it lands in the box.”

With a future that’s clearly full of promise, Elijah Ellis is certainly a young golfer to watch.

Zoe Hunter