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Alfie Farlow of Charlotte said he can’t wait to spend a magnificent Christmas with his family after he won $2 million in Monday’s Powerball drawing.

“I told them, ‘I think our life is about to change,’” Farlow said.

Farlow said the first thing he is going to do with his winnings is put some money into an account for his two young daughters for their college tuitions.

“My girls are not going to have to worry about their college tuition anymore; that’s what means the most to me,” Farlow said. “That is a beautiful feeling.”

Farlow bought three Quick Pick Power Play tickets from Sam’s Mart on Providence Road in Charlotte the night of Monday’s drawing. He said he got up and went to work the next day without even thinking about the Powerball tickets. After he got off work, Farlow said he looked at the Powerball numbers on his friend’s phone to see if he won.

“I saw they were a match and I didn’t believe it,” Farlow said. “It feels so surreal. You’re almost too scared to really believe it.”

His $2 million win was the largest prize won in the country in Monday’s drawing.

Farlow, a 54-year-old machinist, said after he puts away some money for his daughters’ college tuitions, he wants to buy a new home and possibly start his own trucking business.

Farlow arrived at lottery headquarters on Wednesday to collect his prize. After required federal and state tax withholdings, he took home $1,415,000.

The Powerball jackpot has been rolling since the last winning jackpot on Oct. 4. The current Powerball jackpot for Wednesday’s drawing is an estimated $378 million, or $275.9 million in cash. The odds of winning a jackpot are 1 in 292 million.

Ticket sales from draw games like Powerball help make it possible for the lottery to raise more than $900 million a year for education. For details on how $60.5 million raised by the lottery made a difference in Mecklenburg County in 2020, visit www.nclottery.com and click on the “Impact” section.