Betfred British Masters host Danny Willett’s performance at The Belfry during this year’s tournament secured a £19,000 donation from tournament title sponsors Betfred to Prostate Cancer UK.
Willett selected Prostate Cancer UK as the official charity of the 2021 Betfred British Masters, with the United Kingdom-based bookmaker pledging to donate £1,000 for every birdie and £2,000 for every eagle Willett made during his four rounds directly to Prostate Cancer UK.
The 33-year-old had secured £9,000 by the halfway stage after nine birdies in his opening two rounds and added a further £10,000 to the total over the final two rounds with seven birdies on Friday and three more on Saturday.
The 2016 Masters Tournament winner is a long-term supporter of Prostate Cancer UK and chose the United Kingdom-based charity after hearing of the inspiring work of fellow Yorkshireman John Brownless, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2004. Brownless has raised more than £50,000 for the charity over the last seven years by organising golf days in England and Spain.
Willett proudly sports the ‘Man of Men’ badge on his golf bag as he shows his support to Brownless and the 400,000 affected by prostate cancer in the United Kingdom – raising awareness of the disease across the globe.
Brownless met Willett for the first time at the start of the week after being invited to The Belfry to take part in some filming on behalf of Prostate Cancer UK. Willett surprised Brownless mid-interview to thank him for his dedication to fundraising for the charity.
“It is a good feeling to raise the money for charity,” said Willett. “I tried to get that eagle on 17 for a cheeky little bonus. It’s very generous that Betfred offered to support the cause and I’m delighted to have raised £19,000 for Prostate Cancer UK.
“It was really special having the chance to meet John earlier in the week. He’s raised such an incredible amount of money for Prostate Cancer UK and also a lot of awareness about prostate cancer. I hope that people will have seen the Man of Men badge out on the golf course this week and it will encourage them to find out more about the charity and to become more knowledgeable of a disease which affects one in eight men.”
More than 47,500 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year in the United Kingdom and one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime.
Nicola Tallett, Director of Fundraising & Supporter Engagement at Prostate Cancer UK, said: “We’re incredibly grateful to Danny Willett for picking Prostate Cancer UK as his charity of choice for the Betfred British Masters and we thank him for his fantastic efforts on and off the course over the four days of the tournament – and in the build-up too.
“Earlier in the week we were delighted to link Danny up with our tireless supporter John Brownless, whose brilliant efforts in golf have raised significant funds and saved many lives too. It was John whose story inspired Danny to support us, so we are hugely proud of them both.
“We also thank the European Tour for all their support throughout the tournament, for those players and media that have worn our ‘Man of Men’ badge, and to event sponsors Betfred whose generous pledge to donate every time Danny holed a birdie helped raise a fantastic £19,000.
“Golf has been so influential in spreading the word about prostate cancer, but sadly this disease still exists in every golf club. Prostate cancer effects one in eight men in the UK – and one in four if you are black – so we need to continue to drive home this serious message.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has made living with a diagnosis harder, but hard times show what people stand for. When the future is uncertain and the choices are tough, we stand for men with prostate cancer. We thank Danny, the European Tour staff and players, Sky Sports and Betfred for their support.”
Betfred boss Fred Done said: “Danny has been an excellent host of this year’s Betfred British Masters and we are delighted to donate £19,000 to his chosen charity, Prostate Cancer UK.”
The European Tour would like to join in thanking Betfred for its generous donation to Prostate Cancer UK alongside this year’s Betfred British Masters hosted by Danny Willett. The European Tour seeks to create a culture of philanthropy alongside its tournaments as part of its overarching CSR programme, Golf for Good, which seeks to support worthy causes directly in the communities where the Tour plays, as well as promoting philanthropy, sustainability, inclusivity and the many health benefits of the game of golf.
Get a ‘Man of Men’ pin badge like Danny and find out about Prostate Cancer UK’s work in golf, including the epic Big Golf Race, at prostatecanceruk.org/golf.
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