THE European number one Colin Montgomerie and a number of Ireland's European Tour professionals will compete against a team of blind golfers in a special charity match at the Spawell on Tuesday, September 24th.
The blind Irish golfers will meet the professionals on level terms. Montgomerie and his teammates will be blindfolded for the contest which it is hoped will raise enough money to purchase guide dogs.
Philip Walton, Paul McGinley, Darren Clarke, Padraig Harrington, Raymond Burns and David Higgins have promised to play, as have Frenchmen Jean Van de Velde and Eric Giraud, Argentinian Eduardo Romero, England's Lee Westwood, and Scot Gordon Sherry.
McGinley's fiancee Alison Shapcott, who is a professional on the women's Tour, will also take part. The match is the brainchild of John O'Reilly, the Dubliner who caddies for Padraig Harrington.
"I thought I had problems when I got laid up with a bad back and was out of work," he said. "But, after listening to the problems that the blind have, I wanted to do something now that I am in a position, to help after such a great year with Padraig."
Entry will be free but spectators will be asked to make a contribution to help towards the cost of providing guide dogs for which there is a three year waiting list.
