Rod Kafer was smiling before he even hit his ball off the 12th tee.
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The "horrible German polka music" playing in the background was supposed to be a distraction, but it turned into a $50,000 soundtrack at the Matt Millar-Sia Soliola Sleepin Rough charity golf day on Monday.
Trying to focus, ACT Brumbies great Kafer pulled out a four-iron for the 198-metre par three at the Federal Golf Club.
And as if it was timed to intentionally put him off, the song changed just before he made "pure" contact. Kafer laughed. He lost sight of the ball. Then all of a sudden the chuckles turned to chaotic celebrations after nailing one of the biggest cash giveaways in Canberra golf history.
Kafer, a Brumbies champion and 12-Test Wallaby, couldn't wipe the smile off his face for the rest of the day even if the bad music was stuck in his head.
The story spread far and wide around the course as the shadows grew longer and the sun started to disappear behind the Brindabellas.
Everyone on the course had heard about Kafer's $50,000 prize, which was captured on film for insurances purposes, and the party they were about to have at a charity dinner in the club house.
"I've got the bar covered," Kafer laughed a few holes later, still smiling.
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So how did it all go down?
"Imagine German polka music, but worse. I go to the backswing .. I was at parallel [in my backswing], and the song changes," Kafer said.
"They put on something that was at least from this century. I had a chuckle to myself on the down swing and I hit the thing pure.
"I looked at my pro, Jake Nagle, and we were laughing because I got it pure and the song had changed. And he goes to me: 'mate, it's all over it'.
"I didn't even look at it, I didn't see the ball. We were laughing because of the song, we were looking at the green and I couldn't see the ball. I thought it must have flown the green and Jake said: 'no mate, it slam dunked'.
"The blokes in front gave us the thumbs up and it was mayhem.
"I didn't even know it was $50,000. Honestly, I didn't know. But look, I'm still negative $100,000 at least on golf through the career. So $50,000 is pretty sweet."
Kafer was the toast of the night, promising to cover the bar tab for the 145-strong field of sponsors, athletes from the NRL, Super Rugby, cricket and AFL as well as golf professionals after Millar and Soliola joined forces to raise money for St Vincent de Paul.
They had hoped to raise more than $40,000 by offering up Raiders and Brumbies prizes, giveaways and charity auctions.
Little did they know Kafer, off a handicap of 10.3, would walk away with $50,000 in his pocket after some of the day's main sponsors organised hole-in-one prizes on two separate par threes.
Word spread quickly from the groups in front and behind. By the time Kafer walked off the 18th green there was a camera waiting and the insurance company needing his signature for the prize to go ahead.
He copped plenty of grief off his playing partners as it started to sink in and everyone wanted a piece of the former Brumbies and Wallabies playmaker, while the groups in front and behind were in disbelief more than an hour after seeing it all unfold.
It was Kafer's first hole-in-one after decades of playing and capped off a great weekend back in Canberra, where he also watched son Ben Kafer play for the Gungahlin Eagles in the John I Dent Cup.
"I've played a lot of golf here at Federal over the years. It's been great to get back to see Ben play, to get back into club rugby and to play here, it's been a fantastic weekend.
"I've had the great privilege of watching Matt through his career, and have played socially with him. For him and Sia to put this on, I love the opportunity to be a part of it. And what a great day."
Millar couldn't play because of a back injury, while Soliola hobbled through 18 holes despite injuring his hamstring in his Canberra Raiders Cup debut for the Queanbeyan Kangaroos on Saturday.
"It was an incredible day," Millar said. "The time races as you get closer and there were more and more things.
"We're thrilled with the way it's gone and our sponsors have been great with O'Neill and Brown on board and Federal have been amazing.
"We got together with the idea of trying to raise money for St Vinnies, Sia's been massive and the Raiders have been a big support, and Kafe's hole-in-one just tops it all off."
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