Danny Willett joins celebrities for ‘Walker Cup’
European Tour golfer Danny Willett joined Jessica Ennis-Hill, Alan Shearer and other sporting greats who teed off to help TV’s Dan Walker raise thousands for charity.
Sheffield’s Hallamshire course, welcomed dozens of names for the second annual ‘Walker Cup (Not That One)’ in aid of The Children’s Hospital Charity, where Football Focus presenter Walker is a patron.
Walker said: “I wanted it to be bigger and better than last year, and we did it.
‘As AP McCoy told me, ‘It is hard to keep talent down” “It is always nice to have a good day with good people raising money for an incredible charity and we’ve had some amazing feedback.
“The only thing I would have changed would have been the 30 minute downpour at the start.”
Fresh from her gold medal-winning success in Beijing, fellow charity patron Jessica Ennis-Hill tried her hand on the putting green to get the game off to a start.
NCG took the opportunity to sit down with former England footballer Alan Shearer. Click HERE to see the video
The team event was won by cricketer Steve Harmison and his team mates, with 84 points off a 3.5 handicap. Fellow cricketer Jimmy Anderson’s group followed closely on 83 points, with Danny Willett helping his team to a third place despite being forced to play off +5.
Three-time European Tour winner Willett said: “It has been good coming in to play with the lads and to give my support for the charity. I was glad to do it for Dan, he’s a good kid.”
Not to be outdone, Walker won the individual event for a second year running with a score of four under – news that was met with resounding boos in the clubhouse.
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“My handicap has been brought down from 7 to a 5.6 immediately,” said Walker. “But as AP McCoy told me, ‘It is hard to keep talent down’. It is only the sixth time I have managed to play a full 18 this year, so I am pleased with that.”
The event raised over £30,000 to help bring the UK’s first fully-digital intraoperative 3T MRI scanner to Sheffield Children’s Hospital. The life-saving mating will mean better health outcomes for children with brain tumours.
Rebecca Staden, fund-raising manager at The Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “We are so proud of Dan for pulling off what was a fantastic day of golf, raising an incredible amount for this very special scanner. This machine will mean we can help thousands of children every year and will mean our neurosurgery department is one of the most advanced found anywhere in the world.”
