The John Aldridge Charity Golf Classic of this year was another tremendous success. The entire event was filled with fun, laughter and, of course, raising money for local causes!
WORDS Phil Harding
The event kicked off on Thursday, 14 September, when all teams gathered at the Estrela da Luz pool bar for drinks to warm up for the golf-filled weekend.
A total of 26 teams competed for the title over the course of two days. The first day, on Friday, was a Texas Scramble held at Espiche Golf Course. The winning team (Ronan Mallon, Michael Callaghan, Clive Martin and Steve McFadden) scored an impressive 56 points, winning by 2.
A big thank you goes out to everyone at Espiche Golf. The day was thoroughly enjoyed by all, and the course was in the best condition the players have ever seen. Thanks to Paul, Peter, Pauline, and all the staff for yet another superb day.
Saturday’s event brought different weather, with a heavy downpour of rain early in the day. However, most of the field persevered through the storm and continued to play in better weather and, for the most part, better golf. The format was 4-ball better ball, and due to the number of teams, only one score counted so as not to slow the pace of play.
For the second day in a row, the winning team was Ronan Mallon, Michael Callaghan, Clive Martin and Steve McFadden, with an outstanding score of 52 points. A great weekend for these guys (they are definitely not being allowed to compete together next year!).
Once again, the day was made a great success by the fantastic work of everybody at the club, despite the difficult rainy conditions. A massive thank you to Philip Pope and all of his amazing staff at Boavista for making the day such a memorable experience.
The day concluded with a wonderful meal, and Adam Bunney got everybody up singing along. As usual, there was a charity auction where numerous prizes, including a 200L barrel of whisky, were auctioned off. The charity auction raised just under €10,000, a fantastic achievement.
This brought the total raised from the event to €23,000, a record-breaking amount since the Tomorrow magazine and TACT Charity have been involved. These funds will be distributed to local causes in the community, and the presentation will be done with John in November.
The event was a huge success, and a special thanks goes to everyone involved in making it so enjoyable.
My final thank you must be extended to John Aldridge himself. John is a staunch supporter of community causes and, over the last 20 years, his event has raised hundreds of thousands of euros. Thank you, John, for everything you do. We are already looking forward to next year’s event!
Photos © Fátima Vargas
