Rick Shiels to cycle more than 300 miles (!) before Open Championship

Rick Shiels to cycle across Scotland and Northwest England on a golf cart over from 10-13 June.

08 Jun 2023

Rick Shiels is marking the 2023 Open Championship by taking on an epic fundraising challenge for Prostate Cancer UK – this time on four wheels.

Shiels, who is the most-watched golf creator on YouTube with a channel boasting over 2.5 million subscribers, will 'cycle' an incredible 500 kilometres from the Home of Golf – St Andrews in Scotland – to this year's Open venue at Royal Liverpool.

The 36-year-old will traverse the challenging route on a bespoke two-seater golf cart over the span of four days.

He will be joined by a host of famous golfing and YouTube faces, including Sky Sports Golf presenter, Iona Stephen. The public will also have the chance to join Shiels on various stretches of the journey.

Shiels will set off after a few holes on the Old Course at St Andrews on Saturday, 10 June, and will head southwest, finishing the day in Biggar, South Lanarkshire, over 125km (80 miles) away.

He'll then cross the border into England, completing day two at Carlisle Golf Club, before another 70-mile ride to the penultimate stop, Lancaster Golf Club.

The final day of Shiel's incredible tour will see him navigate the hills of Lancashire before he triumphantly crosses the finishing line at the Royal Liverpool, which is set to host the 151^st Open Championship in July.

The new challenge comes a year after Shiels raised a whopping £127,000 for Prostate Cancer UK by walking 150 miles from Prestwick Golf Course to St Andrews over the span of six days, all while he carried his golf clubs on his back.

Rick will be raising money for Prostate Cancer UK during Men's Health Week (13-19 June) and in the build-up to Father's Day, where Prostate Cancer UK alongside supporter fundraising challenges is giving men the power to navigate the most common cancer in men by busting common myths and misconceptions, and sharing clear and accurate health information to help our dads, brothers, sons and mates make the right choices.

Shiels said:

"It's no secret that The Open is one of my favourite tournaments, and I wanted to create an annual challenge to celebrate its amazing history.

"My feet didn't agree at the time, but last year's Walk 150 challenge was a fantastic way to kick it all off. However, anyone who knows me will know that I always want to go bigger, better and crazier, and that's where this year's Cycle 500 challenge was born.

"Cycling across Scotland and Northwest England on a golf cart 'bike' will pose as an entirely different challenge and I'm sure in some ways it'll be even tougher, but I’m excited to be joined by some of my good friends from golf and YouTube, raising more money for an excellent cause, Prostate Cancer UK.

"Last year it was so inspiring to read all the amazing messages from men affected by prostate cancer and their families, thanking me for what I was doing, but it also highlighted why raising money and awareness for Prostate Cancer UK is so important, especially as it's Men’s Health Week too during the challenge.

"Prostate Cancer UK is making a real impact, especially through golf, and I'm delighted to be doing my bit again and shining a spotlight on the disease, which is still impacting the lives of too many men across the UK."

Rick's Cycle 500 challenge is part of a bumper programme of summer golf activity from Prostate Cancer UK, which is headed by its flagship golf fundraiser, The Big Golf Race.

The epic challenge, which has seen over 7,500 golfers raise over £2 million since 2020, invites golfers to take on 72 or 36 holes in a day and raise money to help beat the most common cancer in men.

Prostate Cancer UK is also the official charity partner of the 2023 Betfred British Masters, taking place from 28 June to 2 July at The Belfry, as well as a long-term partner of The PGA.

To sponsor Rick on his Cycle 500 challenge, go to justgiving.com/page/cycle500.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, affecting one in eight. Men over 50, black men and men with a family history of the disease are at increased risk. Visit prostatecanceruk.org to find out more and check your risk in 30 seconds.

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