LEGENDS OF THE GAME UNITE FOR #GOLFANDGIVING AT BERENBERG GARY PLAYER INVITATIONAL
Major winners, Ryder Cup heroes and European and Ladies European Tour stars will join Gary Player to raise funds for deserving causes worldwide at Wentworth Club
London, England (17 June 2019): Grand Slam Champion, Gary Player, will have the company of some of golf’s most recognised names and faces when the Berenberg Gary Player Invitational takes place at Wentworth Club on July 22. Supporting underprivileged children and communities globally, the series has helped The Player Foundation raise more than $64 million, impacting countless lives worldwide.
Amongst a total field of 72 professional golfers and business leaders to take on Wentworth’s Player-designed Edinburgh Course will be eight Ryder Cup stars, seven Major winners and 22 PGA Tour, European Tour and Ladies European Tour professionals, setting the stage for an occasion to remember. 
Hendrik Riehmer, Managing Partner of Berenberg, the second oldest bank in the world, commented: “We’re delighted to continue our sponsorship of this great event, supporting those less fortunate and helping to make a positive difference to young lives in the UK.” “It’s an honour to work alongside Gary Player to make this event happen, a man who is committed to helping improve the lives of countless people around the world”, David Mortlock, Head of Berenberg’s Investment Banking added.
2014 Ryder Cup Captain and eight-time Major winner Tom Watson and his world-renowned compatriots Mark O’Meara, Fred Couples and Tom Lehman will make up the US contingent, with Ian Woosnam, Thomas Bjorn, Sam Torrance and Colin Montgomerie headlining the European side of the field.
They’ll be joined by Player’s fellow citizen Richard Sterne, a six-time winner on the European Tour; 2017 Turkish Airlines Challenge victor, Ryan Evans; Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger, a winner of five European Tour titles; Spaniard, Alvaro Quiros, seven-time European Tour winner; and Lee Slattery, whose most recent title came at the M2M Russian Open in 2015.
Among the Ladies European Tour professionals confirmed are 2018 Rookie of the Year, Julia Engstrom, 2014 Ladies Slovak Open winner, Camilla Lennarth, 2013 LET Q School winner Caroline Martens, Germany’s Olivia Cowan, currently 10th on the Ladies European Tour Order of Merit and recent LET winner, Annabel Dimmock. Also joining the female line-up are Ladies European Tour professionals Lauren Taylor, Joanna Klatten, Sarah Kemp, Amy Boulden, Inci Mehmet and Sophie Lamb.
The Berenberg Gary Player Invitational at Wentworth marks the only European stop on the series’ global calendar with annual events also being staged in the Abu Dhabi, London, New York, Hong Kong and in the tournament host and Grand Slam champion’s home nation of South Africa at Sun City. The money raised at all events plays a major role in helping The Player Foundation work towards its quest of raising $100 million by 2025.
Each team will consist of two amateur guests competing alongside one female and one male professional, combining golf lovers from the worlds of sport, business and society for a glamorous and fun-filled affair. The event will also see a number of representatives from event sponsors tee it up, including those from presenting sponsor Berenberg.
“Some of the strongest memories I have from throughout my career in golf have occurred in the United Kingdom, so I am thrilled to be returning to Wentworth, a venue of which I am most fond and familiar, said Gary Player.
“Our goal is to help improve the lives of as many people globally as we possibly can, and it makes me proud to be able to announce another stellar field, including some of the biggest stars in golf. It’s going to be another occasion to remember.”
Marc Player, CEO of Black Knight International and founder of the series, added: “Since launching the Gary Player Invitational in 1999 we have been able to benefit hundreds of organisations and grant funds to charities locally where the GPIs are staged. I’d like to thank all of our guests and sponsors in advance for their participation and look forward to our event at Wentworth in July.”
Tom Watson, a fellow World Golf Hall of Fame Member, said: “Gary Player’s dedication to raising funds for worthy causes around the globe has been nothing short of remarkable and I am delighted to help his continued efforts at the Berenberg Gary Player Invitational at Wentworth Club in July.”
For more information on the Gary Player Invitational series, visit: www.garyplayerinvitational.com and follow @GPInvitational on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #GOLFandGIVING.
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For more information please contact:
Bo Wood – Black Knight International
+ 1 864 477 2720
Meagan Feaster – Black Knight International
ABOUT BLACK KNIGHT INTERNATIONAL
Established in 1983 by Marc Player, Black Knight International is a global holding company for The Player Group and the constantly expanding family of Gary Player® brands. With a powerful presence in North and South America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa, Black Knight is a multicultural and multilingual company offering branded services for the leisure and real estate industries. This rapidly growing firm is diverse and infused with the same tenaciousness and drive as Gary Player, world renowned iconic golfer. The holding company divisions include: Gary Player Design, Black Knight Management, Player Real Estate, Black Knight Enterprises, Black Knight Solutions, Black Knight Capital, Gary Player Academies, and The Player Foundation.
ABOUT THE PLAYER FOUNDATION
The Player Foundation was established in 1983 by Marc Player. What began as an effort to provide education, nutrition, medical care and athletic activities, for a small community of disadvantaged children living on the outskirts of Johannesburg, South Africa has now blossomed into an organization that circles the globe bringing aid to underprivileged children and impoverished communities.
The Foundation is funded primarily by six Gary Player Invitational events presented through Black Knight International. Pairing celebrities and professional golfers from the PGA and Champions Tours with businessmen and international sports figures, the annual tournaments are staged in the United States, China, Europe and South Africa. The proceeds of these tournaments and other special events provide funding for an ever-expanding number of institutions around the world, including the Blair Atholl Schools in South Africa, the Pleasant City Elementary School in Palm Beach, the Masizame in Plettenberg Bay, South Africa, and AIDS infected children in Baoshan, a drug-infested city located on the China-Burma border. Since its establishment, The Player Foundation has donated more than $60 million to the support of children’s charities, the betterment of impoverished communities and the expansion of educational opportunities throughout the world.
Gary Player, acknowledged as a world-class humanitarian, believes that the strength of our future depends upon the abilities of our children. “I have found that the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others does not thrust itself upon us,” Player says, “But we do not need to look hard for it either. When you spot the chance to give back to the world, act on it. You will have made life better, for others, and for yourself.”
The Gary Player Foundation is a non-profit 501 C (3) organization managed by Black Knight International in Palm Beach, Florida.
ABOUT BERENBERG
Berenberg was established in 1590 and today is one of Europe’s leading privately owned banks. With headquarters in Hamburg and strong presences in Frankfurt, London, and New York, the bank works from offices across Europe and America. Berenberg delivers its expertise through four divisions – Wealth Management, Asset Management, Investment Banking and Corporate Banking.
Berenberg is led by Managing Partners who are fully responsible for the bank. In its 428 year history there have been only 38 of them. In the last ten years, Berenberg doubled its staff to 1,600 professionals to deliver a modern and efficient service, while maintaining a firm connection with its heritage and traditions.
“We are proud to call Gary Player our Brand Ambassador, as he is truly a great Ambassador for the game of golf,” says Hendrik Riehmer, Managing Partner of Berenberg. “This must be measured not just in terms of his career achievements as a Grand Slam Champion, but also in driving such outstanding philanthropic initiatives as the Gary Player Invitational series. The event’s great virtues and its ability to give so much back to charity is one of the many reasons we have chosen this sponsorship as an important business platform for years to come.”
