Month: October 2016

EDGA as Official Charity at the Portugal Masters

EDGA will help young people to try golf thanks to fundraising at Portugal Masters

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The European Disabled Golf Association (EDGA) raised €22,500 as the European Tour’s Official Charity of the 2016 Portugal Masters, which finished on Sunday (23rd October).

As the eventual champion Padraig Harrington battled it out with Andy Sullivan and other top players, EDGA enjoyed a unique profile throughout the week at Vilamoura courtesy of the European Tour. The EDGA team and volunteers were able to raise funds during the tournament which will be spent on a groundbreaking project to introduce children with disability to golf.

The project is also supported by the Portuguese Tourism Board, and will effectively start during the EDGA Algarve Open in December at Vila Sol (December 1-3). Here, a group of coaches will be trained to deliver golf to children with disability, enabling them to work across Portugal, visiting rehabilitation centres and disability groups to share the fun of golf with youngsters and their families.

EDGA is in an excellent position to support the expansion of initiatives which promote the development and delivery of golf for individuals with impairment across Europe, working with 18 national golf federations. While its own Tournament Series has grown from four events in 2013 to 12 in 2016 with a truly international feel, EDGA members wish to support all golfers with disability at the grass roots of the game and encourage new players of all ages.

The EDGA President said: “We would like to offer a huge thank you to the European Tour for selecting EDGA as Official Charity for the 2016 Portugal Masters. This opportunity enabled some wonderful volunteers to support us, and a challenge by the Million Dollar Hole-in-One during the Pro-Am helped raise €22,500, which can all be spent directly on introducing youngsters with disability to golf in Portugal.

“The Portuguese Tourism Board, the European Tour, the Algarve Tourism Association and other organisations in this country are helping EDGA to reach more individuals with disability through this project. Our thanks go to all those involved. They will help us to improve sporting choices, social opportunities and confidence levels for children as they enjoy golf. This sport can be a wonderful lifetime activity and should be made available to everyone wherever possible.”

EDGA has been supported in 2016 by The Ryder Cup European Development Trust, The R&A, the European Tour, PING (PING staff player Lee Westwood is also an EDGA Ambassador), Glenmuir and The Algarve Tourism Association.

EDGA will report further on the progress of the pilot project to help youngsters with disability during the EDGA Algarve Open in December.

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Article by Ben Evans | EDGA Media

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kammerstad shows class in Kalmar to win Swedish Open

Kammerstad shows class in Kalmar to win Swedish Open
Winner Cat A Gross - Johan Kammerstad

The Swedish Open, a key event in the European Disabled Golf Association (EDGA) calendar, has been hailed as a great success with victory going to home nation player Johan Kammerstad.

Thirty-nine golfers with a disability teed it up at the beautiful venue of Kalmar GolfKlubb, in the south-east of the country next to the Baltic Sea. This is one of 12 EDGA tournaments in 11 European countries this summer. The EDGA Tournament Series is supported by The R&A and the European Tour, and scoring counts towards the Ranking for Golfers with Disability supported by PING.

Johan Kammerstad controlled his golf ball brilliantly to win the Category A Gross event, with rounds of 74 and 75 to become the champion for 2016, winning by 10 shots from second place fellow Swede Joakim Björkman (78, 81).

It was the Category B leaderboard which produced the real drama. Denmark’s Rasmus Lot and Sweden’s Jakob Persson finished level on 161 shots after Lot’s excellent 77 to Persson’s 80 in the second round. The resulting play-off was a thriller; five sudden-death holes before a three-putt from Jakob meant the great Dane Rasmus won the day.

The tight, challenging, tree-lined course was in excellent condition with difficult water features and quick greens testing all the players, who enjoyed spectacular views over to the Kalmar Straight.

Sweden’s Gustav Götstav was victorious in the Category C Nett trophy, with a great total of 145 (71, 74), four shots clear of Frenchman José Bagnarelli (71, 78). Jens Magnusson came third (153) after a final Nett 72.

The Stableford (Category D) was well won by Germany’s Heinz Barnbeck with 27 points in each round to win by six shots. Well played also Denmark’s Hans Mollegaard in second place and the rest of the chasing pack.

This was the first year that golfers with intellectual and neurological disabilities have been involved in the Swedish Open.

EDGA Tournament Observer Craig Thomas noted this was very well received with 10 players, including two female golfers, competing on the course. Sveinbjorn Gudmundsson and Elin Ólafsdottir won their categories to make it a double triumph for Iceland.

Craig Thomas added: “All the players deserve great credit for the way they embraced the challenge at Kalmar, the Swedish Open produced some fantastic performances which will stay long in the memory. Great thanks are due to the referees who did a really good job, all the organisational staff, the Swedish Federation and the whole team at Kalmar GolfKlubb who made us all feel so welcome; they were fabulous.

“Finally, a massive thank you to the brains behind the event, Mattias Cleasson of Handigolf, who did so much for the players to make this tournament very special. We are all grateful to Mattias.”

All the winners

 

 

 

 

 

 

* Learn more about EDGA on www.edgagolf.com.

Article by Ben Evans | EDGA Media