Golf stars Play for Thailand Flood Relief
Some of the biggest names from the world of golf have rallied round to raise nearly 2.5 million Baht to help the victims of November’s devastating floods in Thailand.
The clean-up operation following Thailand’s worst flood for half a century is still on-going a month on and the deluge is believed to have claimed the lives of more than 600 people. The knock-on effect is expected to have an impact on the country’s tourism industry, which includes luxury golf breaks.
It’s apt, then, that famous golfers such as Darren Clarke, John Daly, Sergio Garcia, Charl Schwartzel and Lee Westwood lent their support to generate money at a charity auction in the build-up to the season-ending Thailand Golf Championship.
Clarke, Daly, Garcia, Schwartzel and Westwood were among the golfing stars that donated special items to be raffled off to the highest bidder.
Among the lots auctioned off were a pin flag from the Masters and putter signed by Schwartzel that raised 1 million Baht. An autographed Clarke British Open flag also went for 300,000 Baht.
Image from BillGoff.com
Clarke, whose first major win came at the British Open in July, raised a cheer when he pledged 300,000 Baht to the relief efforts.
The 43-year-old Northern Irishman hailed the night a great success as he said: “It’s fantastic that we’ve managed to raise a lot of money towards a worthy cause.
“We’re lucky to be able to play golf for a living and it is good to help whenever we can.”
Golfing starlet Ryo Ishikawa was also present at the star-studded event. The 20-year-old hit the headlines back in March when he announced he would donate all his earnings in 2011 to the relief efforts in his native Japan following the earthquake and tsunami that occurred earlier that month.
He said of the fund-raising for the flood victims in Thailand: “We had the same problem in Japan with the earthquake and tsunami and I was really touched with the help we got.
“In return, I’m proud to be a part of this effort to help in Thailand. All the players feel the same and I hope the country recovers soon.”
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