Chip Shots General Manager Hannah White wasn't sure who her co-workers were talking about when the texts came in Tuesday night. Employees at the indoor golf course she manages in Rochester kept telling her Hugh Jackman was in town, but it wasn't until the X-Men references that she made the connection.
"I know him as Wolverine, not his actual name," White said. "They told me what he was in, and I was like, 'Oh man, you don't always get to meet a celebrity like that.'"
She had other commitments and couldn't make it in to meet the "Greatest Showman" actor. But White said Chip Shots employees raved about the celebrity sighting. Jackman played a few rounds of golf on the virtual course and posed for photographs on his way out the door.
"All of the owners and our staff waited until the end of his game so he could enjoy his time," White said. "He was so polite. He talked with the owners, and they thanked him for coming."
She said Chip Shots staff didn't ask Jackman why he was in town because they wanted to respect his privacy. And even though the "X-Men" franchise actor didn't leave a scorecard, the folks working Tuesday night told White he notched a decent score.
"He's pretty good," White said.
Jackman's next big project is his first in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He's reprising the "X-Men" role he originated in 2000 opposite Ryan Reynolds in this year's "Deadpool and Wolverine," set to release in July. His co-star wasn't on-site Tuesday, though.
"I would have known who that is right away," White said.