Hollywood actor Tom Holland, who rose to global fame portraying Spider-Man in Marvel superhero films, including ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ and ‘Spider-Man: Far From Home’, is the latest A-list star confirmed to play in this year’s BMW PGA Championship Celebrity Pro-Am, taking place at the Wentworth Club on Wednesday, September 8.
Making it a family affair, Tom will be joined by sibling Harry Holland, who is also an actor and budding director, having appeared in a number of films, including a cameo alongside older brother Tom in the forthcoming ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’.
Speaking ahead of the big day, Tom Holland said: “I can’t wait to play in the BMW PGA Championship Celebrity Pro-Am – I’ve heard it’s an amazing event. It should be a lot of fun, especially teaming up with Harry.
“Thousands of fans turn up to watch so I’m sure there’ll be a few nerves teeing it up on the 1st. I’ve been practicing shouting ‘Fore!’. On a serious note, what a fantastic opportunity; to play at Wentworth alongside some of the best golfers in the world. It doesn’t get much better than that.”
The Holland brothers will be making their debuts at the BMW PGA Championship Celebrity Pro-Am, but they’re not the only ones. Liverpool and England footballers Adam Lallana and James Milner will also tee it up at the Surrey based venue for the first time. As will former Slovakian tennis star Daniela Hantuchová, who won the mixed doubles at Wimbledon in 2001, and former England cricketer James Taylor.
Taylor’s life was turned upside down five years ago, when he was diagnosed with a serious but rare heart condition and forced into immediate retirement. The initial devastation of being told he couldn’t continue playing cricket was tempered by how grateful he was to be alive.
Needing a new challenge in life, Taylor took up golf. He incredibly achieved his goal of becoming a scratch golfer just four and a half years after taking up the game.
Other former international cricketers returning to take on Wentworth’s challenging West Course include big hitters Kevin Pietersen, Michael Vaughan, Shane Warne and Darren Gough. They’ll be joined by a number of high-profile names from the world of sport, including Olympic gold medallists James Guy, Sam Quek and Denise Lewis; horse racing’s Sir AP McCoy and Ruby Walsh; football’s Robbie Fowler, Paul Ince and Andriy Shevchenko; rugby’s Will Greenwood and boxing’s Eddie Hearn.
Meanwhile, a whole host of music artists will go head-to-head in the battle to be crowned top of the pop stars. Former One Direction star, Niall Horan, will be targeting Number 1 spot on the leaderboard, but he’ll face stiff competition from fellow Irishmen Ronan Keating, Brian McFadden and Keith Duffy.
British TV presenter Helen Skelton is another making her BMW PGA Championship Celebrity Pro-Am debut, after being announced as the official winner of Slingsby Gin’s celebrity Golf Academy 2021.
To encourage more women to take up the sport, Slingsby Gin, with the support of Callaway Europe, challenged four female celebrities to master golf in just six months. Skelton won a nail-biting play-off to secure her spot on the day.
Skelton said: “I can't get over how irrationally addictive golf is, one minute you want to sell your clubs the next minute you want to play every day of the week. I can’t wait to get out there and enjoy the BMW PGA Championship Pro-Am.”
TV’s Vernon Kay and Dan Walker are also back for the star-studded Celebrity Pro-Am, playing alongside some of the biggest names in golf in the traditional curtain-raiser to the BMW PGA Championship, which is the European Tour’s third Rolex Series event of the 2021 Race to Dubai.
They’re joined on September 8 by fellow TV personalities Gary Beadle, Zoe Hardman, Chris Hughes and Spencer Matthews, as well as debutants Jenni Falconer and Jamie Laing.
What’s more, it’s all for a great cause. The BMW Championship Celebrity Pro-Am raises funds for a nominated Official Charity each year.
Kit Gartrell, Championship Director of the BMW PGA Championship, said: “We cannot wait to open the gates and welcome all the fans back to Wentworth Club for the BMW PGA Championship. The Celebrity Pro-Am is always a fantastic day, and once again it will be the perfect curtain-raiser for what is shaping up to be an amazing festival of world-class golf and entertainment.
“The Celebrity Pro-Am always draws huge crowds and is a real highlight for the fans, but with the BMW PGA Championship being the third Rolex Series event of the 2021 season and the final qualifying event for European players for this year’s Ryder Cup, there is going to be some unbelievable golf played out on the West Course, too.
“We have got Clean Bandit and Feeder performing live concerts on Saturday and Sunday respectively. The BMW PGA Championship has developed into a real family day out, offering fans the chance to enjoy a fantastic blend of world-class golf and entertainment in a relaxed and fun environment.”
The tournament itself gets underway on Thursday September 9.
Reigning BMW PGA Champion Tyrrell Hatton will return to defend his title, joined by fellow Englishmen Matt Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood, Ian Poulter, Justin Rose, Matt Wallace, Lee Westwood and 2019 BMW PGA Championship winner Danny Willett.
The ‘home’ players won’t have it all their own way though. Some of the biggest names in world golf also have plans to lift the famous BMW PGA Championship trophy on Sunday September 12, including Billy Horschel, Viktor Hovland, Martin Kaymer, Shane Lowry, Francesco Molinari, Alex Noren, Victor Perez, Adam Scott, Henrik Stenson and Bernd Wiesberger.
Ticket prices for the BMW PGA Celebrity Pro-Am start at £25 for adults (complimentary tickets available for children aged 13 and under). Prices for the BMW PGA Championship start at £15 for Tuesday’s practice round. Concessions are available for OAPs and students.
For further information, including premium experience and hospitality options, visit: www.ET.GOLF/BMWPGA
