Richard Mansell to take on 100-hole golf marathon for stricken pal
A rising golf star from Staffordshire has raised thousands of pounds by playing 100 holes in a day to help his former caddie who has been left in a coma.
Richard Mansell, a 24-year-old professional currently on the Jamega Tour, set a target of raising £1,000 after friend and caddie Charlie Crosby collapsed last week following a devastating bleed on the brain.
Charlie, aged 23, was rushed into emergency surgery in hospital in London and placed in a coma. It has since been revealed that he has been left paralysed down the right side of his body and his speech has been badly affected.
The full extend of the damage is still unknown.
Close friend Richard –who hails from Burntwood and attended Chase Terrace High School before taking up a golf scholarship at university in USA and then turning professional – said he wanted to do something to help his close pal, who he met through the game.
The pair have remained close friends and, together with fellow golf pro Joe Brooks, 23, he set about raising £1,000 to help Charlie's family with costs while he is undergoing treatment.
They began their marathon golf challenge at Beau Desert Golf Club, on Cannock Chase, at 5.40am on Monday, not finishing until 8pm. It is thought they covered around 30 miles during the challenge in aid of Charlie, who caddied for Richard during the recent European Tour qualifying school.
However, within hours of setting up a Gofundme page, that figure was smashed with donations reaching well over £2,200.
He said: "Last Thursday morning, Charlie collapsed and was rushed to Barnet hospital by ambulance where they did a CT scan and found a bleed on his brain.
"They put him in an induced coma and rushed him to London Neurological Hospital where he has sent straight down for emergency surgery.
"After seven hours of surgery Charlie is now stable and slowly being brought out of the induced coma.
"He had an arteriovenous malformation which ruptured deep in the left side of the brain. This is a condition that you are born with and you will not even know until this happens. It can happen to anyone of us at any time.
"The staff have told us that Charlie is a real fighter and we are so proud of him. He is young and strong which will be in his favour but we still do not know how much damage has been done.
"I am hoping that we can raise some money for Charlie and his family at this difficult time whether that be for train fares, hotels, private rehabilitation or whatever Charlie and his family need and want to put the money towards going forward.
"They shouldn’t have to think about money at a time like this and it just proves how important life is and none of us know what is around the corner."
To help the fundraising effort, visit Richard's Gofundme website at https://www.gofundme.com/100-holes-of-golf-in-one-day-for-charlie
