Eight leading European Tour professionals were put to the test ahead of the 2011 Portugal Masters and succeeded in raising €45,000 through the Genworth Putts4Charity Pro Champions’ Challenge.
Ryder Cup stars Ross Fisher, Miguel Angel Jiménez, Thomas Levet and Francesco Molinari as well as former US PGA Champion, Martin Kaymer, Tour winners Alex Noren and Shane Lowry and leading Portuguese golfer Ricardo Santos participated in a putting challenge as part of the popular joint venture with The Tour Players Foundation and partner, SOS Children’s Villages, a charity which aims to support abandoned and orphaned children across Europe.
Each player competed in a head-to-head with a fellow professional over a four hole course made up of replica holes from memorable moments in European Tour history, including Kaymer’s brave putt which guaranteed him a place in the play-off for the 2010 US PGA Championship which he subsequently went on to win, beating American Bubba Watson.
Noren, a two time winner on The European Tour this season, finally edged out Kaymer on the final hole to clinch the title, taking the total amount raised for charity by the Genworth ‘Putts4Charity Champions’ Challenge” to just over €195,000 this year.
The Swede said: “It is always a privilege to take part in an event that generates so much money for charity. The Putts4Charity event is one we all enjoy taking part in and I would like to thank Genworth for their support. I am sure that SOS Children’s Villages can put the money to good use”.
Wednesday’s event saw the overall total raised since 2007 surpass €868,000, something that European Tour sponsors Genworth hold in high regard.
Bob Brannock, President of Genworth's global Lifestyle Protection business, commented; “As a sponsor of The European Tour since 2007, we have always looked to demonstrate our long term commitment to charitable causes and we feel that the Putts4Charity events across the year are the perfect means of driving awareness and raising important funds for SOS Children’s Villages. We would like to thank all of the players that have shown their support this year and we hope that this ongoing support will allow us to reach the £1m landmark in the not so distant future”.
