Title sponsors Willow received a welcome boost to its coffers after not one, but two amateurs achieved hole-in-ones during the two Willow Classic Pro-Am tournaments held at Hanbury Manor Marriott Hotel and Country Club on August 24 and 25.
The Pro-Ams took place on Wednesday and Thursday, while the unique format of the new European Senior Tour event saw amateurs partnering professionals for all three competitive rounds from Friday to Sunday.
Tournament sponsor Midway Insurance pledged £10,000 to Willow, a charity which provides special days for 16 to 40 year olds with serious illnesses, for each hole-in-one scored by an amateur golfer across all five days of action, and it ended up paying out £20,000 after amateurs Placid Gonzales and Mark Pears both aced the 185-yard 16th hole on separate days. Ticket proceeds from the weekend’s tournament will also go to Willow.
The charity’s founder, former Scotland and Arsenal goalkeeper Bob Wilson, was delighted with the two aces, as well as the awareness raised by the tournament, which is a new addition to the Senior Tour schedule for 2016.
“To have hole-in-one was great, but to have two was just extraordinary,” said Wilson. “It’s an amazing boost for us to add that to the pot of what was a wonderful week.
“It’s all about spreading awareness of what we do,” added Wilson. “Every year, 16,000 people from the ages of 16 to 40 are diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. My daughter Anna was the inspiration for Willow. She had radiotherapy, chemotherapy and 16 life-saving operations, and we had these special days with her to give her a touch of normality against the horror she was going through.”
The Wednesday Pro-Am was won by the team of professional Mike Harwood and his three amateur partners, Woburn Golf Club captain Ian Holloway, former Northern Ireland goalkeeper Pat Jennings, and former Fulham and Tottenham Hotspurs footballer John Lacy. The Thursday Pro-Am day was won by the team of professional André Bossert, Rob Jiggins, Steve Parnell and Rob Steed.