The large crowd of several hundred people went wild when Leishman nailed a hole-in-one as part of a celebrity day at the month-long charity event beside Viaduct Road.

The Warrnambool golfer was joined by seven AFL footballers from the south-west — Essendon siblings Jackson and Zac Merrett, Brisbane’s rising star award winner Lewis Taylor, retired Brisbane legend Jonathan Brown, Collingwood’s Sam Dwyer, Gold Coast Suns’ Louis Herbert and Essendon’s Marty Gleeson — but it was Leishman who was a cut above the rest.

“It was absolutely bloody marvellous,” event co-ordinator Ian Heard said.

“It was a wonderful day. I’ve no idea how many people were there. One person said 300, another said 500. But it was a great crowd and there were lots of kids who went and got photos taken with the (sportsmen) and got autographs.

“And then when Marc got the hole in one it was terrific — everybody was yelling and clapping.”

It was the first hole-in-one of the summer at the event, which raises money for charity projects to which Warrnambool East Rotary Club contributes.

“We haven’t had a hole-in-one yet other than Marc’s and for the amount of players we’ve had it’s a surprise,” Mr Heard said.

An average of 200 people have taken part on each day of the competition, with the Rotary club setting a new record of $1459 raised in one day.

“Even our first day was $500 bigger than the biggest first day we’ve ever had,” he said.

As for the footballers, Jackson Merrett was nearest the pin, winning a two-day meals and accommodation package to be donated to a family in crisis of his choosing.