Hot on the heels of the recent British Masters, Derby-based marketing agency, Purpose Media has provided sponsorship and marketing support for the first ever Ryder Cup style golf event for disabled people. Global brand Amazon was the main sponsor of the event and has committed to further raise the profile of the event to help secure its ongoing viability.
Called the Cairns Cup, the inaugural event is taking place at the Seve Ballesteros-designed The Shire London golf course between 7-13 May. The venues for future Cairns Cup include The Fortress (Michigan USA) in 2024, Celtic Manor (Wales) in 2026, Florida in 2028 and San Rogue, Gibraltar in 2030.
The tournament has the backing of the “Ryder family” and Tom Ryder Smith, the grandson of Samuel Ryder, who founded the Ryder Cup, has committed his full support to the Cairns Cup.
The tournament sees Europe host USA over 3 days playing fourball betterball, foursomes and singles formats. Each team consists of 16 players, however only 12 will play each day. Each team has at least 6 different disabilities and WHS handicaps ranging from scratch to 54 making the event truly inclusive and available to all golfers who have a disability.
Team Europe will be led Kevin Booth, with vice captain Kris Aves, a police officer from Barnet, London who was injured in a terrorist attack on Westminster Bridge in 2017.
Team USA is captained by Tracey Ramin, who is executive director of The National Amputee Golf Association, Board member of The Michigan Amputee Golf Association, director of completion and co-founder of USAGA Para long drive Rock City Rumble 2019. Other vice captains include Derek Milne, John Bell, and Tineke Loogman and Jonathan Snyder.
Purpose Media has agreed to create branding for the UK event, manage social media, film the event and create promotional videos as part of its contribution towards ensuring this inaugural event receives the support it deserves.
Matt Wheatcroft from Purpose Media said: “We have an established reputation for helping sports clubs and associations maximise the power of digital marketing. We are delighted to have been asked to support the launch of this inaugural event and look forward to playing a key role in the future.”
The Cairns cup is a “Ryder Cup Style” match-play event between golfers with various disabilities from Europe and USA.
The event is also presented as a DISABILITY GOLF FESTIVAL with the following aims:
- Establish a competitive event for those with a disability
- Raise awareness of Disability Golf
- Provide a platform to raising funds to promote golf to all
- Leave a legacy for future generation
The Cairns Cup aka “The Billy” arose from the Phoenix Cup 2018 in Florida when a team of disabled golfers from USA & Europe played at Rotonda Golf Club, Florida. Mr. Billy Cairns was a team member of the travelling European team and unfortunately passed away the day after arriving in Florida. This made the competition very emotional and ensured that the camaraderie between the two teams was unprecedented.
The Cairns Cup CIC is now a not for profit company that will allow the event to grow and promote opportunities for Disabled Golfers in the USA and Europe.
