The Seve Ballesteros Foundation has received a donation of €100,000 from the 2018 EurAsia Cup, taking the total donated from the biennial contest between Europe and Asia to €300,000.
The Seve Ballesteros Foundation honours the life, achievements and professional career of the late European Tour legend from Spain, and aims to preserve his legacy and maintain his passion for golf, and especially for what the game can do to inspire young people. Seve set up the Foundation in 2009, with the commitment to contribute to the advancement of science for the benefit of those suffering from brain tumours.
The Foundation also aims to introduce children to golf, and to use the game as a vehicle for social development, instilling the values associated with the practice of the game of golf, and support young golfers in their careers.
Thomas Bjørn, who captained Europe to a 14-10 win over Arjun Atwal’s Asian side, before going on to lead Europe to victory in The Ryder Cup in September, presented the latest cheque to Seve’s son Miguel, adding to the donations from the 2014 and 2016 editions of the tournament.
Miguel Ballesteros said: “On behalf of the Seve Ballesteros Foundation, I would like to thank the European Tour and Asian Tour by way of the EurAsia Cup for their generous support.
“The donation helps the Foundation continue with the purposes my father established in 2009: Research for the benefit of those suffering from brain tumours, supporting young golfers in their careers, and helping to introduce children to golf.
“Thanks to your support, Massimo Squatrito, head of the brain tumour group at the SBF laboratory at the National Cancer Research Centre in Spain and his team have accomplished scientific work of great quality for the past six years. They have recently uncovered a novel mechanism, a protein that contributes to preventing the development of glioblastoma, the most aggressive brain tumour.
“My father would be proud to see the continued support of the work of his Foundation.”
In recent years, the Seve Ballesteros Foundation has provided funding to the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (C.N.I.O. Carlos III) and the Aladina Foundation, which helps to improve the quality of life of young patients suffering from cancer.
The Foundation has also helped to build a children’s playground facility at a hospital in Santander with an open area dedicated to golf. The aim is to support young patients suffering from cancer and make their difficult stay more pleasant. Plans are in place to expand this to a second hospital in Madrid.
In 2017, the Foundation held the V Desafio, a series of charity golf events played at 25 courses all over Spain. The winning pair were invited to participate in the 2018 EurAsia Cup Pro-Am.
