Former Boyzone star Keith Duffy is hoping his golf game will be on song later this year as he prepares to defend his title – and win as much money as possible for his chosen charity – against celebrities from the world of sport and entertainment at the 2022 Legends Tour Destination Seychelles, Celebrity Series Grand Final.
Held at the picturesque Constance Lemuria in the Seychelles, the final Celebrity Series event on the current Legends Tour season will see the Irishman attempt to successfully defend his title against a plethora of well-known faces on December 1.
Former Liverpool star Robbie Fowler will be one of those looking to take home the title after missing out by just one point to Duffy at the 2021 season finale in Mauritius.
Held at the picturesque Constance Lemuria in the Seychelles, the final Celebrity Series event on the current Legends Tour season will see the Irishman attempt to successfully defend his title against a plethora of well-known faces on December 1.
Former Liverpool star Robbie Fowler will be one of those looking to take home the title after missing out by just one point to Duffy at the 2021 season finale in Mauritius.
Fowler, who was capped 26 times for England, enters the season finale in good form having been victorious in his last two Celebrity Series starts – the Jersey Legends at La Moye Golf Club in June and the Celebrity Series at the Staysure PGA Seniors Championship at Formby Golf Club in August.
Chelsea legends Roberto Di Matteo and Gianfranco Zola, former England cricket captain Sir Andrew Strauss and 1996 Formula One World Champion Damon Hill will also be in the field for the event, which takes place the day before some of the best senior golfers in the world take part in the opening weekend of the MCB Tour Championship between December 2 and 4.
Also competing in the Destination Seychelles, Celebrity Series Grand Final will be former Republic of Ireland and Celtic goalkeeper Packie Bonner, champion alpine ski racer and 1976 Winter Olympic gold medallist Franz Klammer and TV presenter Georgie Bingham.
Duffy is hoping he can bring his best form to Constance Lemuria after an emotional victory at last year’s Celebrity Series Grand Final helped him support a charity close to his heart - Ireland’s national autism charity ‘AsIAm’.
Duffy said: “I have a little girl with autism and have been working with the charity for over 20 years.
“Winning last year was overwhelming. An unbelievable feeling and not just because I won a golf tournament but because of what it meant to me. There was £100,000 for the Celebrity Series to be broken down, the winner gets close to £30,000 for their chosen charity and that is a huge amount of money to give to any charity.
“I am very passionate about children and people with autism and the appropriate education and intervention, so to be able to give them a cheque for nearly £30,000 when I got home from Mauritius was absolutely fantastic.”
The 9.5 handicapper knows that following his victory earlier in the year that he will need to play his best golf and is wary of the threat posed by one golfer in particular.
“I will not be holding my breath about winning. I know Robbie Fowler is a massive target on my back and he is out to get me. Robbie Fowler is a striker, a goal scorer, a winner, and he does not like being beaten – and I beat him by one point in Mauritius. To qualify for Mauritius I had to win a tournament at Formby and I beat Robbie by one there also, so I definitely have a target on my back.”
At what will be the penultimate event on the 2022 Legends Tour calendar, the professionals will be looking for success in the first stage of the MCB Tour Championship as the race for the Order of Merit hots up.
Padraig Harrington currently leads the way, with 2011 Open Championship winner Darren Clarke and two-time DP World Tour winner James Kingston close behind.
The end-of-season MCB Tour Championship will continue between December 9-11 at Constance Belle Mare Plage in Mauritius, where the Order of Merit winner will be crowned. Run by the Legends Tour, the end-of-season events are partnered with Mauritius Commercial Bank (MCB), Constance Hotels & Resorts and Seychelles Tourism.
Amateur golfers can sign up for the ultimate professional experience to play alongside the best senior golfers in Mauritius as part of the Alliance Series. For more information, click here.
See below for full list of celebrities playing and the charities they have chosen to support:
Keith Duffy – AsIAm
Robbie Fowler – Zoe’s Place
Damon Hill – HALOW
Sir Andrew Strauss – The Ruth Strauss Foundation
Gianfranco Zola – Centro Sclerosi Multipla, Ospedale S. Raffaele, DIMER
Georgie Bingham – MacMillan Cancer Support
Roberto Di Matteo – Prostate Cancer UK
Packie Bonner – Amyloidosis Research Fund
Franz Klammer – The Franz Klammer Foundation
Barry Richards – The Ingrid Diesel Scholarship for Girls
