On Center

PGA Pro Tom Watson Raises Big Bucks for ALS Research

You could call it the ultimate job satisfaction. As caddy for golf pro Tom Watson since 1973, Bruce Edwards has had the good fortune to watch Watson nail 35 PGA tournaments. Now Watson is hosting a brand new tournament—the Nov. 3 Bob Packard Cup—to help his loyal caddy and others conquer ALS. Organizers of the event at Stanford University’s golf course anticipate that the tournament will raise at least $500,000 for research at the Packard Center.

Edwards was diagnosed with ALS in January of 2003. Back in the fall of 2002, while caddying at the Champions Tour Championship, he felt his left hand cramping and had trouble speaking clearly. Since his diagnosis, Edwards and his family have supported ALS research fund-raising. The Edwardses live in Florida with their four children.

Joining Watson as co-host of the Packard Cup event is longtime friend Frank “Sandy” Tatum Jr., an NCAA national champion in golf from Stanford in the 1930s and former president of the U.S. Golf Association. Watson, Tatum and organizers hope the money raised will accelerate the development of effective therapies and lead to a cure for ALS.

Hurricane Blues Organizers of the Third Annual Packard Center ALS Research Symposium in Baltimore had to make a decision this fall as Hurricane Isabel loomed over the mid-Atlantic region. In the end they cancelled the event. It turned out to be a wise decision. Angry Isabel left Baltimore’s harbor with widespread power outages and flooding. Undeterred, the ALS conference hosts rescheduled the event for March 26-27, 2004. Sponsored by the Playing to Win for Life Foundation, founded by board member Bob Basten, the symposium assembles researchers from numerous institutions worldwide to discuss latest advances in ALS research. The upcoming event will also honor the 2003 Partners in Collaboration: the Emily Davie and Joseph S. Kornfeld Foundation, MDA’s Wings Over Wall Street, and Ride for Life.

“I am committed to helping Bruce and others fight this devastating disease,” says Watson. “The Packard Center is dedicated to translating basic research into real therapy for today’s patients.”

Packard Foundation board member Ken Hagen, who is coordinating the event, is delighted with Watson’s commitment: “Tom Watson is a champion on and off the golf course. We are thrilled he is helping in our battle to find a cure for this terrible disease.”

For more information about future Bob Packard Cup events, including sponsorship and volunteer opportunities, contact Ken Hagen at Robert Packard Foundation, 131 Cherry Street, San Francisco, CA 94118, hagens@pacbell.net, or at 866-834-4329.

 

 

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