The fifth annual Getzlaf Golf Shootout at Monarch Beach Golf Links in Dana Point on Sept. 13 raised $440,000 to help find a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Since the inaugural Getzlaf shootout, the event has raised more than $1.3 million to battle the degenerative disease that affects approximately 300,000 boys worldwide.
The weekend event also included a reception at Sutra Lounge in Costa Mesa the night before golf, with more than 400 guests that included a field of athletes and supporters attending the festivities and golf fundraiser. In attendance to support Anaheim Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf were several teammates, including Corey Perry, Ryan Kesler, Cam Fowler, Clayton Stoner and Andrew Cogliano; former teammate Teemu Sellane; former Angels pitcher Chuck Finley and outfielder Garret Anderson; and L.A. Galaxy player David Romney.
Getzlaf and his wife, Paige, have supported CureDuchenne since meeting Hawken Miller several years ago. Now 18 and beginning his freshman year at USC, Miller is beating the odds and changed the way Getzlaf perceived his career in sports.
“Knowing that Hawken and thousands of boys with Duchenne lose muscle has inspired me to not take one single practice or game for granted,” Getzlaf said. “I think of Hawken out on the ice and it makes me play harder. He inspires me.”
CureDuchenne, with an office in Newport Beach, was founded in 2003. With support from the organization the FDA could approve three pharmaceutical treatments within the next year, with hope that they could lessen the effects of the disease for those with certain mutations of Duchenne.
