Willett spreads joyful vibe in ‘Marathons of Golf’

30/06/2022

Golf’s great adventurer and PGA Professional, Luke Willett, is set to complete his ‘Marathons of Golf’ grand challenge this Sunday (July 3) at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, aiming to bring a smile to golfers young and old in the build-up to the 150th Open Championship.

Known as The Iron Golfer, the leading UK Speedgolfer, cyclist, multiple marathon runner, PGA Professional golfer and coach has so far this year played rapid speedgolf rounds at 13 of golf’s 14 venues for The Open, welcomed each time by the members of these world-famous clubs.

But that is half the story. On each occasion Luke then takes to the streets to run, up to a marathon in length, around every Open town, meeting the public and spreading the positive vibe about the historic championship, while inspiring his followers on Instagram (@lukewillettgolf) to think a little differently about the game. All while Luke trained and practised with 5am starts to take a shot at qualifying for The Open itself.

This Sunday, Luke will visit Royal Liverpool Golf Club, his 14th and final Open Championship course and local golf community. Following in the footsteps of recent Open winners here such as Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, Luke is seeking to create his own piece of history as he aims for his best combined score (strokes and time) for his unique Marathons of Golf series, before coaching some of the club’s young junior players.

Supporting the Golf Foundation

Luke is dedicating his final round at Royal Liverpool to fundraise for national charity the Golf Foundation because he wants more children from different backgrounds to experience the joy that golf can offer all of us, however we choose to play the game.

Readers can support Luke’s brilliant endeavor and donate to the Golf Foundation by CLICKING HERE.

The Golf Foundation projects offer young people the chance to develop life skills such as resilience, confidence and respect for the game and its players, and thus the charity applauds Luke Willett’s drive, creativity and sense of fun expressed through golf.

5am starts, injuries and resilience

Luke said: “This adventure really has been incredibly difficult but at the same time an absolute joy to play these wonderful Open Championship courses, the greatest in golf, and to meet all the kind members of these clubs before running the streets and saying hello to the wonderful people in these golf communities. Running the towns and connecting to the places of these great Open venues has been a highly rewarding part for me.

“I’m trying to show that the boundaries and possibilities of golf can be whatever you want them to be. It is down to your own imagination and sense of fun. I think my Marathons of Golf have engaged with a lot of young people out there and hopefully I have inspired a boy or girl to be a champion in the future; either in a traditional way or finding a new way to suit themselves through golf. For this reason, I wanted to dedicate my final challenge on Sunday to the Golf Foundation, a charity that does so much to bring the game to kids from all backgrounds.”

Vanessa Bell, Head of Fundraising for the Golf Foundation, said: “Luke has been a superb supporter in recent times and we think his creativity and courage sets a fabulous example to everyone in golf. Our programmes aim to change the lives of young people through golf and for Luke to shine a light on this work while at Royal Liverpool will be brilliant.”

Luke added: “I’m also particularly excited to be finishing this test at Royal Liverpool. This is a superb golf club and I know that the members are hugely supportive of their juniors and growing the game for the local community, a feature of all these fine clubs. I was really disappointed to miss out on Open qualifying this year for St Andrews but heartened in how well I’m striking the golf ball. I am very much inspired to build my game for next year and qualify for the 151^st Open held here with my friends at Royal Liverpool. This will be awesome and I will be there!”

You can follow Luke and watch the videos of all 13 of his Marathons of Golf so far on Instagram at @lukewillettgolf – and you can donate to the Golf Foundation at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/marathonsofgolf – any size of donation is hugely appreciated by our team. Watch out in the week ahead for more news on the Marathons of Golf!