The Irish Open presented by Discover Ireland has now raised over €45,000 for the tournament’s Official Charity, Barnardos.
And, with the Sunday’s final round at the Killarney Golf & Fishing Club still to be played, it is hoped that the tournament can smash through the €50,000 mark for the children’s charity.
The main focus of the fundraising activities for Barnardos at the Irish Open has been on the Genworth Putts4Charity One Putt Pledge and the Genworth Putts4Charity Champions Challenge.
Genworth Putts4Charity One Putt Pledge sees a €5 donation from Genworth and a €5 donation the Tour Players Foundation, for each single putt the Tour players make on the Killeen Course at the Killarney Golf & Fishing Club.
After the first three rounds of the Irish Open, the players have made 1929 single putts, and with an estimated 400 to be added on Sunday, the initiative is set to raise in excess of €23,000.
The Putts4Charity Champions Challenge takes place at the Genworth stand in the tented village, with the main features on Thursday and Friday being a ‘Pro v. Commentator Challenge’ each worth €2000 to Barnardos.
The pros proved too strong for the commentators as Genworth Ambassador Ross Fisher defeated RTE and CNN man Shane O’Donoghue on day one, before Shane Lowry overcame SKY Sports’ Wayne ‘Radar’ Riley.
Saturday’s Putts4Charity Champions Challenge gave the huge crowds in the village a feel of the Southern Hemisphere with Aussie Marcus Fraser taking on South Africa’s Keith Horne. It was Horne who won the battle to secure another €2000 for Barnardos.
Other fundraising activities saw an overwhelming reaction from the general public, with thousands of people paying €5 per person to enter the Killarney Golf & Fishing Club on Wednesday for the Irish Open for Business Pro-Am, as well a €1 entry fee for kids to the Family Fun Zone presented by Liebherr.
Finally the Padraig Harrington/Kartel Shirt Initiative saw Kartel, the Official Clothing Supplier of the tournament donating 50% of all tournament replica shirt sales to Barnardos through the Padraig Harrington Foundation.
Every year Barnardos works with over 5,900 children and their families, providing direct services, advice and support through more than 40 centres based in some of the most disadvantaged communities in Ireland, responding to the needs of each child and family, and aiming to provide practical and professional support.
