Suicide prevention charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) has been chosen as the Official Charity of the BMW PGA Championship, with every birdie made at the fourth Rolex Series event of the season resulting in a £10 donation while an eagle will earn a £100 donation.
For the first time, CALM will be the beneficiaries of the charitable activations across site at the prestigious event, with the BMW PGA Championship and DP World Tour showing its support for CALM’s life-saving work, and changing the conversation around mental health and suicide.
The BMW PGA Championship will once again provide one of the highlights of the British sporting summer when it returns to Wentworth Club from September 8-11. A world-class field will assemble at the Surrey venue, with four-time Major Champion Rory McIlroy, Spanish sensation Jon Rahm, defending champion Billy Horschel, U.S. Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick as well as the respective 2020 and 2019 BMW PGA Champions Tyrrell Hatton and Danny Willett all set to tee it up.
Their birdies and eagles at the famous West Course will contribute to the cause, while fans will be able to chip in at various donations points across the site – including the Mega Putt Challenge and chipping challenge within the Spectator Village.
“We are thrilled to have been chosen as the beneficiary for this year’s BMW PGA Championship,’’ said Simon Gunning, CEO of CALM. “At a time when more people than ever need our support, it is a brilliant opportunity to be there for the golfing community, as well as raising vital funds for our life-saving services.”
“The extraordinary work that CALM does in provoking conversation around mental health and in suicide prevention is invaluable,” said Chris Brownridge, Chief Executive Officer at BMW Group UK. “Every two years we choose a new company charity and this time BMW Group employees across the UK voted to support CALM.
“I am delighted that this partnership has now been extended to the BMW PGA Championship and believe that the generosity and engagement of the Wentworth crowd in September will help to leave a lasting legacy in the vital work of CALM, well beyond the end of the competition.”
Kit Gartrell, the tournament’s Championship Director, added: “We are very proud to have CALM on board as the Official Charity of the 2022 BMW PGA Championship. It’s a been a tough couple of years for many reasons, and as a charity focused on mental health and suicide prevention, CALM’s front line services have been there for whoever has been struggling, whatever they have been going through.
“Like all sports, golf has great mental health benefits and at the DP World Tour we are very passionate about promoting those benefits to young people, so our thanks go to BMW for being the driving force behind this partnership and we hope to help spread CALM’s message of uniting the UK against suicide.”