(From Left to right: Ken Roulston, MS Society NI, pictured with Marion McDowell, MS Nurse Marc Cunningham and Graeme McDowell after the golfer donated the staggering sum of £48,000 to help people living with MS in Northern Ireland)

This whopping sum of money was Graeme’s winnings from the 2007 Tavistock Cup, a Florida based golfing tournament that pits the touring professional golf members of the local Lake Nona Golf Club against those of neighbouring rivals, Isleworth Golf and Country Club.

Graeme was a member of the Lake Nona team, who claimed victory over Tiger Woods’ undefeated Isleworth side on a final score of 22-8, to secure the coveted title of World Golf and Country Club Champions for the first time. The winning side was captained by Ernie Els and featured other famous golfing entities such as Justin Rose and Ian Poulter.

As a member of the victorious Lake Nona team, Graeme received $100,000 to donate to a charity of his choice. The MS Society NI was selected as the lucky beneficiary.

Speaking about Graeme’s donation, Ken Roulston from the MS Society NI said: “This is an incredibly generous contribution and people with MS across Northern Ireland will be delighted to hear about it. MS is a devastating condition that affects one in every 500 people here – one of the highest rates in the world – so Graeme’s support means a great deal to all of us. We can’t thank him enough.”

Notes for editors

MS Society, NI

With almost 2000 members and a network of 19 support branches, The MS Society, NI, is the leading person centred charity providing help and support to people affected by Multiple Sclerosis throughout Northern Ireland.

MS is the most common disabling neurological disorder affecting young adults. In MS, damage to myelin – the protective sheath surrounding nerve fibres of the central nervous system – interferes with messages between the brain and the body. For some people, MS is characterised by periods of relapse and remission while for others it has a progressive pattern. There is no cure and few effective treatments.

The Society has been working throughout Northern Ireland for the past fifty years and puts people first by providing:

• Accurate, timely & relevant information
  
• counselling and one-to-one confidential support
  
• Funding for MS Specialist Nurses and other allied professionals
  
• Campaigning, lobbying & advocacy services
  
• A network of branch support throughout Northern Ireland (run by volunteers with personal experience of MS)
  
• Support for the whole family including young carers
  
• The promotion and funding of research
  
• Information desks at MS Clinics
  
• A supported Holiday Scheme

The MS Society, NI, receives no government funding and in order to continue our work we rely on fundraising and the support of the community with ALL money raised in Northern Ireland being spent in Northern Ireland.

The MS Society, NI, can be contacted at the MS Resource Centre, 34 Annadale Avenue Belfast, BT7 3JJ, or by telephoning: 028 90 802 802 or visiting: www.mssocietyni.co.uk


Tavistock Cup

The 2007 Tavistock Cup presented by the Citi Private Bank retured to its roots on March 26 and 27, at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club.
Team Lake Nona claimed their first Tavistock Cup by defeating Team Isleworth with a final score of 22-8. Tiger Woods shot 8-under-par (64) on Tuesday and took home the Payne Stewart Salver Award for low medalist. Retief Goosen was awarded a brand-new 2007 Cadillac Escalade after his shot landed closest to the pin on Hole #17 on Tuesday, a mere one foot and 10 inches from the hole. Besides leading his team to victory, Ernie Els also secured an additional $100,000 for his team by winning the Old Mutual Long Drive Challenge on Monday at Hole #11.

In 2007, the Tavistock Cup raised the stakes by donating an additional $1 million to charity on behalf of the winning team, bringing the four year total to over $2.5 million.

Further information about the Tavistock Cup can be found at www.tavistockcup.com