Sometimes, life is not as simple as it seems. Take Linda Chen, for example.
She thought once she made a hole-in-one at a charity golf tournament benefitting Nova Southeastern University Orlando held at the Isleworth Golf & Country Club in Central Florida on May 22, she would be winning a brand-new Mercedes-Benz.
However, now she finds herself embroiled in a lawsuit.
The owner of the group that organized the event is withholding the car from Chen due to her history as a professional golfer. He also says that Chen did not properly disclose her history as a professional when she signed up for the event, which would have disqualified her from winning the prize.
In response to this, Chen is suing several groups involved in organizing, advertising and sponsoring the tournament for a breach of contract after the prize for hitting a hole-in-one was withheld from her.
But the defendants have argued that Chen, by virtue of her past as a former professional golfer, wasn’t eligible to win the car since the tournament rules she signed stated that only amateurs were qualified for the prize.
“By showing up, entering the Fins on the Fairway golf tournament, her host paying the entry fees, and hitting a hole-in-one,” Chen “accepted the Defendants’ offer, formed a contract, paid consideration, and fulfilled her obligations under the contract,” the lawsuit states.
She hit a hole-in-one to win a Mercedes. Now she’s suing the golf tournament’s organizer https://t.co/LCMnF895GN
— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 10, 2023
“If you look at Linda Chen’s LinkedIn page, she makes no mention of her amateur status. She made no mention of it AHEAD of the tournament,” Tournament Golf Event owner Timothy Galvin told Fox News in an email. “There were other professional golfers in the event who informed the tournament of their status.
That’s all Ms. Chen had to do ahead of time, and this could have prevented how things are going,” he added.
In her complaint, Chen argues she only competed as a professional golfer from 1994 to 1996 and has been officially registered as an amateur with the United States Golf Association (USGA) for more than 15 years.
Galvin, his organization, Ace Hole in One, which insured the prize, and Mercedes-Benz of South Orlando, which advertised the prize, are listed as defendants in the lawsuit. Chen is seeking either the prize, a Mercedes E Class, or $90,000, the car’s value.
“I initially informed Ms. Chen that, in my experience, her former pro status may be an issue,” Galvin said. “I told her that I would be in communication with her. (The) court will reveal who is eligible, who is culpable, and eventually who is responsible for the outcome,” Galvin said.
