FITZPATRICK BOOSTS FUNDRAISING TOTAL AT THE ABERDEEN STANDARD INVESTMENTS SCOTTISH OPEN.

The Official Charity Partners of the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open will share £203,200 after a fantastic week of fundraising at The Renaissance Club, with five-time European Tour winner Matt Fitzpatrick adding to the total by donating his Hero Challenge winner’s cheque.

The Englishman triumphed in the fast and fun one-hole shoot out contest on the Tuesday of the third Rolex Series event on the 2019 Race to Dubai, and his donation helped to take the total that will be shared by the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation and Leuchie House over the £200,000 mark.

The two charities joined the European Tour Foundation to partner with the Aberdeen Standard Investments for the second consecutive year, and will benefit from a range of charitable activities, including a new gala dinner and auction, hosted by television presenter Emma Dodds and comedian Rory Bremner.

Matt Fitzpatrick said: “I was delighted to be able to add to the fundraising total that will go to My Name’5 Doddie Foundation and Leuchie House. The Hero Challenge was a great way to start the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open week, and what better way to mark my win than by donating the winner’s cheque to two charities doing such fantastic work.”

Fundraising activities throughout the tournament week included the popular Tartan Wednesday pro-am – with fans, players and celebrities kitted out in tartan – and the Birdie Pledge, which saw Aberdeen Standard Investments donate £5 per birdie and £10 per eagle scored throughout the course of the tournament.

Charitable activities in the championship village included the MegaPutt Challenge and bucket collections, with spectators also generously donating for the opportunity to have photographs taken with the Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup.

Doddie Weir is one of rugby’s most recognisable personalities. The former Scotland and British and Irish Lions lock forward revealed in June 2017 that he was suffering from motor neurone disease. In November that year he and his Trustees launched the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation to raise funds to aid research into the causes of motor neurone disease and investigate potential cures.

Doddie Weir said: “Once again we have received amazing support from the hosts, organisers, players and spectators at the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open. I would like to thank everyone involved, including our willing and brilliant volunteers, who made it such a special week. The Renaissance Club staged an exciting tournament and our congratulations to Bernd Wiesberger on his title.

“Our thanks also to Matt Fitzpatrick for donating his prize money for the Hero Challenge to help My Name’5 Doddie Foundation and our friends at Leuchie House. As you can imagine, it is always special for me to see Tartan Wednesday and the guys looked great, once again! I enjoyed meeting up with our friends from the European Tour, Aberdeen Standard Investments and VisitScotland, who have given us this wonderful opportunity.”

Leuchie House, an East Lothian-based charity, is Scotland’s only dedicated respite centre and offers caring respite breaks to people with long term neurological conditions, including motor neurone disease. By providing the care they need, Leuchie is able to support people with many different conditions to have fulfilling, revitalising breaks, while giving their carers time away from caring.

Leuchie House Chief Executive, Mark Bevan, said: “It has been a fantastic experience for Leuchie House to be involved as a charity partner again at this year’s Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open. The enormous support and generosity from the spectators and those attending the gala dinner and Tartan Wednesday pro-am was remarkable and we are astonished by the fundraising total.

“The total raised reflects the dedication and effort by Aberdeen Standard Investments, The European Tour Foundation and The Renaissance Club and their membership to support Leuchie House and the My Name’s Doddie Foundation, for which we are incredibly grateful. These funds will go directly to supporting people and their carers living with long term neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis, motor neurone disease and Parkinson’s through dedicated respite breaks.”

Jutta af Rosenborg, Non-Executive Director of Aberdeen Standard Investments, said: “We are delighted that such a wonderful sum has been raised to support both the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation and Leuchie House. We are also pleased that through their roles as official charities of the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club, we have helped to raise awareness of their fantastic work, both with raising funds to potentially cure MND and offering respite breaks to people with neurological conditions.

“It has been a pleasure for us to work with both charities at the Scottish Open. Our thanks go to all the players, the spectators, and the volunteers for showing their support and making it happen.”

Nick Rose, Head of the European Tour Foundation, said: “The European Tour Foundation works with charities, players, governing bodies and partners to ensure a lasting legacy in the countries where the European Tour plays. We were delighted to work alongside the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation and Leuchie House for the second year to raise awareness of their incredible work and continue to provide fundraising opportunities as part of the European Tour Foundation’s philanthropic strategy.

“Our thanks go to everyone who generously contributed to the fundraising total, from the attendees at the gala dinner and Tartan Wednesday pro-am, spectators in the village, Aberdeen Standard Investments – who continued the fantastic Birdie Pledge – and of course  Matt Fitzpatrick, whose Hero Challenge donation took the total over £200,000.”

To find out more about the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, Leuchie House and the European Tour Foundation, visit www.myname5doddie.co.uk, www.leuchiehouse.org.uk and
www.europeantourfoundtion.org