It's time to find out who will be the winner of the 2021 Slingsby Golf Academy, as the four cadets take on Wentworth to win a place in the BMW PGA Championship Pro-Am
After six months of training and a nail-biting play-off, British TV presenter Helen Skelton has been announced as the official winner of Slingsby Golf Academy 2021. The TV personality will go on to compete in the star-studded line up at the BMW PGA Championship Celebrity Pro-Am on Wednesday, September 8.
Earlier this year, proud sponsors of the BMW PGA Championship and premium gin Brand, Slingsby Gin, with the support of Callaway Europe, challenged Helen Skelton, singer-songwriter Fleur East, Sky Sports broadcaster Bela Shah and Sky Sports Formula 1 presenter Natalie Pinkham to take to the course with the Slingsby Golf Academy, looking to encourage more women to take up the sport. The challenge? The four celeb cadets had six months to master golf, working week-on-week with their PGA professional partner to ace their skills before a hair-raising play-off against each other. All to secure a spot at the renowned BMW PGA Championship Celebrity Pro-Am in September.
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BMW PGA Championship Pro-Am
The BMW PGA Championship, the third Rolex Series event of the European Tour’s 2021 Race to Dubai, is one of the most anticipated events in the sporting calendar, with the celebrity Pro-Am tournament kicking off the event in style. Each year, celebrities from the world of sport, film, music and broadcast come together to play the Championship’s Pro-Am at Wentworth Club, Niall Horan who rose to global fame during his time as a member of boyband One Direction was announced as the first celebrity in the line-up. Slingsby Gin wanted to take this opportunity to champion female participation in the sport and encourage more women to pick up a club and take a “swing” at trying Golf, highlighting that golf is a game for anyone.
Documenting the cadets golf journey
Over the course of their training with Slingsby Gin, the four stars have documented their Golfing journey in a six-part series showing the highs, lows and thrill of taking up the great game. As the 2021 champion, Helen has received a £5,000 bonus cheque from Slingsby that she has announced will be donated to Eden Valley Hospice.
Marcus Black, co-founder of Slingsby Gin, said:
“Huge congratulations to Helen and her PGA Professional, Steph Davies on their win! It has been a pleasure to watch not only Helen, but all four of these inspirational women dedicate themselves to mastering Golf on the Slingsby Golf Academy over the last six months. The dedication and hard work they have shown throughout their training is incredible and I am delighted that Helen now has the opportunity to showcase this at the Celebrity Pro-Am tournament - good luck on the course!
"At Slingsby, we have always been keen on championing the social side of sport and what better way to celebrate a win than grabbing a G&T with friends in the clubhouse. Our recent Slingsby Solo, a pre-mixed G&T can, and Slingsby Spritz, our new hard seltzer offering, are perfect for enjoying on the go, and we hope to be bringing friends together over a toast for long-awaited catch ups.”
Helen Skelton said:
” I am very grateful for the opportunity to learn how to play golf through the Slingsby Golf Academy initiative and to have had so much top level support from my partner PGA Pro Steph Davies. It has been a pleasure to go on this journey with my fellow cadets Fleur, Natalie and Bela, hopefully we have done a bit to inspire more females to take up the game. I can’t wait to get out and enjoy the BMW PGA Championship Pro-Am without the stress of a play-off hanging over me!
"I can't get over how irrationally addictive golf is, one minute you want to sell your clubs the next minute you want to play every day of the week. “
Helen Skelton will be playing Wentworth’s West Course on Wednesday, September 8 taking up Slingsby’s spot in the BMW PGA Celebrity Pro-Am tournament for one final swing in her Slingsby Golf Academy journey.
About the Slingsby Golf Academy
Slingsby’s Class of 2021 includes singer-songwriter Fleur East, TV presenter Helen Skelton, Sky Sports Formula 1 presenter Natalie Pinkham and broadcaster Bela Shah into the Academy. Their challenge was to learn how to play golf before competing against each other in a nerve-wracking play-off to qualify for the BMW PGA Championship Celebrity Pro-Am.
The winner of the Play-Off, which took place over Wentworth’s South Course, won a place in the Pro-Am and a £5,000 bonus cheque from Slingsby to donate to a charity of their choice.
Follow their journey via their own and Slingsby's social media channels @slingsbysocial.
