In a bid to highlight important “one in three” statistics ahead of World Alzheimer's Day, one player from a series of marquee three-ball groups will have their names removed from caddie bibs and walking scoreboards as they play the third hole on Friday at the BMW PGA Championship.
Among other symbolic gestures planned to support the Alzheimer's Society’s pioneering Sport United Against Dementia (SUAD) campaign, the par and yardage information will be removed from the third tee yardage board at the third Rolex Series event of the season, held over the West Course at Wentworth Club.
With the BMW PGA Championship taking place from September 17-20, and World Alzheimer's Day held on September 21, the Tour is playing its part in helping raise global awareness and challenge the stigma surrounding Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.
According to the latest research gathered by the Alzheimer’s Society, dementia was the leading cause of death in the UK in 2024.
Among other statistics that highlight the scale of the challenge of dementia are:
• every three minutes someone in the UK develops dementia
• one in three people born today will develop dementia
• one in three people with dementia do not have a formal diagnosis
• one in three people wait over a month to speak out about early symptoms
If people receive a timely diagnosis, it opens up access to drug treatments that can help them manage the symptoms better, gain access to care and financial support and have the comfort and knowledge of knowing what you are dealing with.
As more treatments become available, an early and accurate dementia diagnosis will be essential to unlock access to drugs that can slow down progression of the disease.
Earlier this year, members of staff at the European Tour group took part in The Ultimate Golf Challenge - playing 36 or 72 holes in a single day – as part of fundraising efforts to help stop dementia from devastating lives.
Later this month will see Guy Kinnings, Chief Executive Officer of the DP World Tour, join up to 100 industry and media colleagues in walking 100 laps of the outfield of Lord’s cricket ground to raise funds for Alzheimer’s Society.
If you’re concerned about yourself or a loved one, visit the Alzheimer’s Society symptoms checklist here.
