World Alzheimer’s Day will this year take place on Saturday September 21, coinciding with Day Three of the prestigious tournament at Wentworth Club in Surrey, which has attracted one of the strongest fields in the event’s long and storied history.
World Number Two Rory McIlroy will be one of ten players from last year’s triumphant European Ryder Cup team in attendance, alongside Paul Casey, Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrrell Hatton, Francesco Molinari, Alex Noren, Ian Poulter, Jon Rahm, Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson, as well as their captain Thomas Bjørn.
American stars Tony Finau, Billy Horschel, Andrew Putnam and Patrick Reed will also make the journey across the Atlantic, taking advantage of the tournament’s change of date from May to September.
Funds raised from the star-studded Celebrity Pro-Am, tournament programme sales and the popular Totally Mega Putt Challenge, located within the Championship Village, will help fund research that will have a life-changing impact for those living with dementia now and will help create a world without dementia in the future.
Funds will also go towards challenging perceptions of dementia and improving and providing care and support, while selected local charities will benefit from funds raised through the European Tour Foundation.
“We are delighted to welcome Alzheimer’s Society as the Official Charity for the BMW PGA Championship,” said Jamie Birkmyre, the European Tour’s Championship Director for the event.
“The work that they do across the UK is tremendous, supporting people affected by dementia and funding research into treatment and cures for of the UK’s biggest killer.
“With World Alzheimer’s Day taking place on the Saturday of our tournament, there could not be a better time to raise awareness for Alzheimer’s Society as they try to achieve their vision of a world without dementia.”
Chris Colby, National Partnerships Manager at Alzheimer’s Society, said: “There are 850,000 people with dementia in the UK and this number is set to rise one million by 2021. Becoming the Official Charity to a tournament that has such prominence on the UK’s sporting calendar is a fantastic boost to the work we are doing at Alzheimer’s Society.
“We are honoured to be chosen alongside the European Tour Foundation as recipients of the charitable funds raised at Wentworth for the next two years, which will help us as we work tirelessly to find a cure for tomorrow and make sure everyone affected by dementia today can live the lives they choose and have somewhere to turn to for support.”
Tickets to see a world-class field battle it out for the BMW PGA Championship title at Wentworth Club are on sale now.
Fans can also buy tickets to see a top class line-up of entertainment on the Slingsby Show Stage in the BMW Championship village, with Rudimental headlining on Saturday night (September 21) and Anne-Marie bringing the curtain down on Sunday September 22.
Click here for more information. For hospitality packages, please click here.
To find out more about Alzheimer’s Society, visit alzheimers.org.uk
