Two rugby legends, two charity golf tournaments
Two rugby legends will guest star at two charity golf tournaments in New Plymouth at the beginning of March.
The weekend tees off with former All Blacks and Hurricanes star Christian Cullen at the Ngāmotu Golf Club on Friday, March 1.
Hosted by Property Brokers New Plymouth, all proceeds will be split between The Coach Mckean Fund and the Life Education Trust.
Just two days later former All Blacks icon Grant Fox, who was born in New Plymouth, will ‘Tee Off With Hospice’ at the Westown Golf Club on Sunday, March 3. This is the fourth time Te Kahu Pairuri Hospice Taranaki has held the tournament and it usually raises more than $20,000.
This year, 11 people will be on the auction block, including Fox, rugby referee Matt Stone and Taranaki Bulls coach Neil Barnes, prior to tee off for the players to secure an extra team-mate.
The winners of the auction for Grant Fox will be able to have a cocktail hour with drinks and nibbles with him at The Devon Hotel.
The day will culminate with an auction featuring such items as a golf flag signed by the 2023 BMW PGA Championship winner Ryan Fox at Wentworth in Surrey, UK. A basketball tournament will also be held that weekend, March 2 and 3.
Basketball Taranaki will host the second edition of the Coach Mckean Memorial Cup, bringing together premier men and women from Taranaki to compete in a basketball tournament. Proceeds will go to The Coach Mckean Fund.
Steve “Coach” Mckean, who died in 2021, was a larger than life presence on the Taranaki sporting scene for many years. In 2021, Mckean’s wife and daughter, Rachel and Naomi Mckean, partnered with the Taranaki Foundation to establish The “Coach” Mckean Fund. This fund supports young Taranaki sports enthusiasts through the Sport Taranaki Future Champions Programme and the annual Coach Mckean Small Grants Fund.
Basketball Taranaki general manager Kevin Fenwick said continuing Coach’s legacy of inspiring young athletes is the ultimate tribute.