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| Laurette Maritz and Cecilie Lundgreen |
Ladies European Tour golfers Laurette Maritz and Cecilie Lundgreen completed 101 holes of golf in a single day on Monday 18th June, to raise money for their charity, Eyes for Zimbabwe.
It was a crazy challenge but at 4am, when it was raining and still dark, the professional golfers hit their first tee shot at the picturesque ‘Borregaard Golf Club’ in Sarpsborg, Norway.
By 7.38am they had completed 36 holes and they were halfway there with 50 holes done by noon. They finally finished in just over 12 hours.
Laurette said: “We did 100 holes today in 12 hours and in such weather, but we feel like we could start again! Thank you for being with us. We are going to play one more just because we can!
“At the beginning when I started I thought, ‘What did I do?’ But now I feel like I can do it! I feel like we have accomplished something great. I’ve learned so much about endurance, caring for people and doing something that you really want to do. If you put your mind to it, you can do it!”
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Laurette and her coach Reeve Nield started the charity in 1996 after meeting a 12-year-old girl who had cataracts. At the cost of just $20, surgery was performed and she could see again.
Through various fundraising initiatives, they have been able to assist thousands of cataract blinded Zimbabweans of all ages, including six month old babies, to receive their sight.
Over the years their golf Sponsors, ‘Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics’ have generously shipped nine containers to Zimbabwe which have been very kindly filled by donors throughout America and with the help of many friends, the golfers have hand-packed these containers with donated medical supplies and equipment, clothing, food, books, school supplies, nutritional food supplements, new born kits, blankets, wheelchairs, hygiene kits and more.
Their goal in 2012 is to ship five 40ft containers to Zimbabwe with these much needed items. A friend had offered ‘Eyes for Zimbabwe’ a thousand euros if they played an additional hole after finishing the 100 holes, so they eagerly played the 101st hole before heading back to the clubhouse.
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Unfortunately, on Saturday before the fundraising event, Cecilie cut herself in the palm of her hand, however with Laurette’s first-aid skills acquired whilst helping the people in Zimbabwe, she patched up Cecilie’s hand with butterfly bandages and antiseptic. Cecilie was concerned that she would be able to play the 100 holes, however when Reeve came with a right-handed baseball glove and some extra bandages, there was hope and Cecilie was able to play with very little discomfort.
Several club members were excited to hear of and watch their progress, yet shook their heads in complete disbelief that they would actually manage to play 100 holes.
Cecilie and Laurette invited ‘Borregaard Golf Club’s’ top female junior golfer, Vilde Natalie Eriksen, to join them for 18 holes during their ‘race’ to 100 holes and it was an opportunity to share a few golf tips, hoping to inspire her towards her goals.
Laurette had initiated the idea, having been inspired by a friend who last year played 100 holes in a single day. Upon hearing this, she was determined to do the same to raise money for their charity, ‘Eyes for Zimbabwe’.
Laurette commented: “What we would like to say is: we are so excited to be able to do this for Eyes for Zimbabwe and the people of Zimbabwe. We know how they struggle and how much they need and this is the least that we can do to be able to raise money to help these little children and these older people who have cataracts, so we want to say, thank you for supporting us and we are very grateful.”
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If you would like to donate to the charity, click the ‘DONATE’ button which can be found on the top, right of the new website: http://www.eyes4zimbabwe.org/
A humorous review of their 101-hole, one-day challenge can be seen on YouTube. Click here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErVp8ez7q-c
