On his way to play golf Friday, Skip Brinson of Richlands stopped to take two swings at winning a lottery prize and sunk a $250,000 prize.

His win came in the parking lot of the Handy Mart on Richlands Highway in Jacksonville after he bought two $5 tickets. Back in his vehicle, he played the games, winning $10 on the first ticket and finding the $250,000 prize on the second, a $250,000 Win It All ticket.

“It’s just one of those things,” said Brinson as he collected his prize Monday. “I wasn’t expecting to do anything, and there it was.”

After required federal and state tax withholdings, Brinson, a real estate appraiser, took home $176,876. He said he would pay off his mortgage and his car loan.

“I won’t have any more payments, except light bills, cable bills, typical utility bills,” said Brinson. “It will be awesome not to have to worry about a house payment.”

Brinson won the last of four top prizes in the $250,000 Win It All game. Since all top prizes have been claimed, the lottery will begin steps to end the game.

Ticket sales from scratch-off games make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $700 million a year for education. For details on how lottery funds made a difference in all of North Carolina’s 100 counties, click on the “Impact” section of the lottery’s website.