I want to start this week’s report with news of a really amazing campaign launched today by SAP to assist those affected by the ongoing refugee crisis.
No one could fail to be touched by some of the shocking and at times heartbreaking images that we’ve seen on the news in recent months. Hundreds of thousands of adults and children have been forced to flee their homes due to conflict and violence and to risk their lives in search of safe haven and a better life. In launching this campaign, SAP is stepping up and doing something amazing to help with the international relief efforts. I applaud them for that.
As people will know, I’ve enjoyed a long professional relationship with SAP and one of the things that has impressed me over the years is the company and its staff have a profound philanthropic spirit and a culture of wanting to help improve the lives of people in need. In this latest charitable initiative – called the One4 Project – SAP has joined forces with Imagine Dragons who are releasing a song, “I Was Me”, supported by Apple, Universal and Interscope Records. The song is now available exclusively on iTunes worldwide and each party involved is donating their respective proceeds to the UN relief fund. SAP will also donate USD 10 cents for every download up to the first 5 million downloads from iTunes.
This is one of those situations where if many people make just a small contribution it will collectively make a huge difference, so do please click here to download the song and show your support or watch the video. Thank you.
Anyway, on to other news. Having last week off gave me a rare opportunity to watch the Springboks play live, which is always a real treat. Like all Springboks fans it’s been exciting to see them surge through to the quarter finals of the Rugby World Cup. We’ve now got a mighty battle against Wales this weekend. That’s going to be some game and obviously we’re right behind our team!
I also made sure I was able to watch some of the action from the Presidents Cup in Korea. Hats off to both teams for making it a wonderful sporting spectacle and congratulations to the American team. As often seems to be the case in matchplay golf, it came down to just a couple of putts near the end. It’s tough when you’re on the losing side, but Nick Price and his team should be proud of themselves. They gave it everything. I also have to give special mention to former Ernie Els & Fancourt Foundation members Louis Oosthuizen and Branden Grace. Together they produced some incredible spells of scoring and were unbeaten in fourball and foursomes. Branden then went on to win his singles match and become one of only a handful of players in Presidents Cup history to achieve a 100 per cent record.
We’ve just made the long journey across to Asia for this week’s Venetian Macao Open and now have a great week to look forward to. I’m happy to be here and, after some good play in the Dunhill Links a few weeks ago, definitely feeling upbeat about my game. This is my third straight appearance in this event. I remember the first time playing in 2013 and thinking I’m definitely coming back! It’s a destination like no other that we visit all year – luxurious and comfortable, but lively at the same time – and the hospitality and warmth from the fans is something else. Also, as an international ambassador for the Asian Tour it feels entirely appropriate for me to support events such as this, which do a great job of engaging with the local population and promoting and growing the game of golf in the region. Everyone involved in the tournament deserves a lot of credit for that.
That’s it for now. Follow me on twitter @TheBig_Easy where you can also get behind the One4 project and show your support through social media.
