Victorious members of the 2013 British and Irish Lions tour to Australia, Stuart Hogg, Paul O’Connell and Brian O’Driscoll, are among the pack of rugby stars who will be tackling the fairways on Wednesday May 25, 2016 in the BMW PGA Championship Pro-Am at Wentworth Club.
The trio will be making their debuts in the popular event, as will England’s most-capped captain, Will Carling, alongside other rugby legends Ben Foden, Will Greenwood, Gavin Hastings, Austin Healey, Andy Nicol, Mike Tindall and Keith Wood.
They join One Direction singer Niall Horan in the star-studded line up, with advanced tickets available for just £13 at www.bmw-pga.com.
Irish lock O’Connell ended his illustrious playing career earlier this year when injury forced him to retire after 15 years as a professional. During that time he earned 115 international caps, won three Six Nations Championships, including one Grand Slam, two Heineken Cups with his province Munster, competed in four World Cups and went on three Lions tours, captaining the 2009 squad to South Africa.
“I can’t wait for May to come around,” said the 36 year old. “One of the upsides of retirement is that I’ve been able to get out on the golf course a bit more, and I’m looking forward to being back in a competitive sporting environment again.
“I’m used to playing in front of crowds, but trying to swing a club and hole a putt is a lot different from calling line-outs, so I’ll be out of my comfort zone for sure, but I’m going to make sure I enjoy what will be a fantastic experience.”
O’Driscoll is widely considered to be one of the great players of his generation, retiring in 2014 with 141 international caps, 47 tries to his name and a reputation as one of the finest centres to have played the game.
The 37 year old, who captained Ireland a record 84 times as well as leading the 2005 Lions on their tour to New Zealand, is a single-figure handicapper and he is looking forward to putting in a few big hits around Wentworth’s famous West Course.
“It’s a great honour to be asked to play in BMW PGA Pro-Am – it’s a wonderful event,” he said. “Nothing can beat the buzz of playing elite-level sport, so performing in front of crowds again will be fun – I’d better get practising!”
Scotland and Glasgow Warriors full-back Hogg was named Player of the Championship in the 2016 Six Nations and he will be hoping his golf skills can thrill the crowds as much as his peerless attacking rugby skills.
“I used to play a lot of golf when I was growing up,” said the 23 year old. “I’m more competitive on the golf course now than ever so I can’t wait to take on Wentworth.
“It may all be a bit of fun for a great cause, but I’m definitely going to try my best – when there are English, Irish and Welsh players around, as a Scot I’m programmed to want to beat them!”
Jamie Birkmyre, Championship Director of the BMW PGA Championship, said: “We are incredibly excited to be welcoming such world class rugby talent to the BMW PGA Celebrity Pro-Am, which has become a real fixture on the sporting and social calendar.”
Last year, thanks chiefly to the generous donations from the professionals, celebrities and the Tour Players Foundation, the Celebrity Pro-Am day raised in excess of £35,000 for charity.
The BMW PGA Championship offers six days of high quality entertainment, including Official Practice Day, Celebrity Pro-Am and four rounds of compelling competition from May 26-29. Tickets are available atwww.bmw-pga.com, or by calling the hotline on 01344 840550.
