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Dressed for success, Scottish golf star Kelsey MacDonald is on a fairway to heaven, as this little birdie showed unique sartorial style and pulled on a canary yellow dress adorned with 300 golf balls to spread a little sunshine ahead of next week’s Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open.
By donning the eye-catching creation which suits her to a tee, Kelsey hopes that hundreds of golf fans will also be inspired to ‘wear it yellow’ at this month’s Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open and help raise money for a cause close to her heart.
Golf fans are being asked to wear something yellow – from pale-primrose socks to canary-coloured trews – in aid of Beatson Cancer Charity during the tournament being played at Dundonald Links in North Ayrshire from July 22-24.
Wear It Yellow Day takes place on the first day of competition, Friday 22nd July and spectators, professionals, amateurs and celebrities will be entering into the spirit of the occasion and raising much needed funds for The Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre (The Beatson), which delivers all of the radiotherapy and much of the chemotherapy to the population of the west of Scotland with a catchment area of 2.5 million, around 50% of Scotland’s population.
Kelsey’s grandfather, John Morrison – known as Jock – was a patient of The Beatson, and her family will forever be grateful for the way the staff looked after him.
“My grandfather was a patient at the older Beatson centre and the care that he received was outstanding. All the staff were unbelievable, and the facilities they have make such a difference to patients and their families,” says Kelsey.
“I’m really pleased that I have a chance to be able to do something to repay their kindness for all the help that they gave our family. We are asking people to Wear It Yellow because that’s the colour associated with Beatson Cancer Charity, and I cannot wait to walk down the fairway and see nothing but a sea of yellow in the crowd.
“It is such a simple thing to do, but it will be extremely effective. I played in a tournament in Dubai last year when they asked people to wear pink to raise awareness of breast cancer, and it was a really amazing to see how people responded.
“I think this will be an excellent way for everyone to be able to come along and support Beatson Cancer Charity – whether they follow golf or not – and give something back to a facility that has helped so many local families.”
Although Kelsey’s grandfather was a patient at the older Beatson centre – now replaced by a modern facility - Kelsey has also visited the Beatson Cancer Charity Wellbeing Centre in her role as an Aberdeen Asset Management ambassador.
Along with fellow Scots golfer Kylie Walker, she was given a tour of the Wellbeing Centre to mark Beatson Cancer Charity being announced as the official charity of the Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open for the second year running.
Almost £7,000 was raised for Beatson Cancer Charity at the 2015 event, which was also played at Dundonald Links. The money raised is used to enhance the experience, treatment, wellbeing and outcomes of current and former patients and their families across Scotland.
The charity is particularly close to the Ladies Scottish Open as former head scorer Lynn Mitchell received treatment at the centre during her battle against cancer.
Kelsey, who was back on her home turf in Nairn last week to watch the Scottish Open at nearby Castle Stuart, says the visit was inspirational. She adds, “I thought it would be really hard to go there, knowing that the patients were there because they were so ill.
“But I was blown away at how positive and strong they were. The centre has absolutely amazing facilities and the staff are fantastic. It was a really uplifting experience, and made me realise, even more than before at just how lucky we are that The Beatson exists.”
Event organisers Aberdeen Asset Management will contribute to the fundraising efforts with a ‘Birdie Pledge’, which will see the company donate £5 per birdie and £10 per eagle made during the three-day competition. The Beatson Cancer Charity exhibition stand in the event’s public village will also host a daily raffle to raise extra funds.
Tournament organisers and Beatson Cancer Charity will hand out a limited number of yellow awareness wristbands and caps throughout the day, and spectators are encouraged to share their outfits on social media using #WearItYellow.
David Welch, chief executive of Beatson Cancer Charity, added: “Wear it Yellow Day is a fantastic way to highlight not only the wonderful work of Beatson Cancer Charity but it also encourages people to dig deep and donate to a very worthwhile cause. We’re so grateful to Aberdeen Asset Management for supporting this initiative and we can’t wait to see the course bright and yellow in support of the world-class cancer centre which cares for so many people across the west of Scotland and beyond.
“Aberdeen Asset Management has continued to show determination and significant support for the charity and adding this special Beatson day is a truly fantastic gesture and my sincere thanks goes to everyone involved. I hope everyone enjoys the Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open and digs deep for the thousands of patients and their families who visit The Beatson and related facilities each year.”
The 2016 Aberdeen Asset Management Ladies Scottish Open takes place at Dundonald Links on the West Coast of Scotland in North Ayrshire, from 22-24 July. The event now occupies a prime spot on the Ladies European Tour calendar, sitting just one week ahead of the Women's British Open and offers a prize fund of €500,000.
The event's unique pro-am format sees 80 amateurs and celebrities tee it up alongside a limited field of 80 of the top female golfers in the world. The 54-hole tournament is played over three days and is the only annual professional Ladies European Tour event in Scotland.
