At the BMW PGA Championship, the DP World Tour joined forces with Alzheimer's Society to support its Sport United Against Dementia (SUAD) campaign.
On Friday September 18, during the second round of the Rolex Series tournament, one player from marquee three-ball groups had their name removed from caddie bibs and walking scoreboards as they played the third hole at Wentworth Club.
The symbolic actions were implemented to highlight important “one in three” statistics ahead of World Alzheimer's Day today, Monday September 21.
SUAD was launched in 2020 to spearhead change in the industry and find positive solutions for past and present sportspeople, their families and fans.
According to the latest research gathered by Alzheimer’s Society, dementia was the leading cause of death in the UK in 2024.
Among other statistics that highlight the scale of the challenge of dementia are:
• every three minutes someone in the UK develops dementia
• one in three people born today will develop dementia
• one in three people with dementia do not have a formal diagnosis
• one in three people wait over a month to speak out about early symptoms
SUAD is helping raise global awareness and challenge the stigma surrounding Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia, with September World Alzheimer's month.
Sam Scott at Alzheimer's Society said: "The reason we're using the third hole is that shockingly despite being the UK's biggest, one in three people with dementia don't have a diagnosis which unlocks a whole range of benefits that we think people need.
"Sport is a really powerful tool to get messaging out and show that if people have concerns or need support, they know where they can turn for help."
Guy Kinnings, Chief Executive Officer of the European Tour group, is a member of the SUAD Board which consists of leaders from across the world of professional sport and said the initiative provided a good way to reach out to the wider golf audience.
"It's important to me, and it's been important to the Tour, the staff and the players," explained Kinnings, who has seen family members affected by dementia.
"The opportunity to do this just before World Alzheimer's Day on Monday just seemed to be ideal.
"You just need to tell the story. This is our way through golf, through this tournament, through our Tour to try and raise awareness, get people to understand what it's all about, and then they can do things that can help. That's the goal."
For anyone who wishes to find out more about the work the Alzheimer's Society are carrying out in sport, click here.
