KEY POINTS:
Caddy Steve Williams hasn't lacked for something to do during Tiger Woods' injury-enforced absence from the golf course.
A year ago, Williams pledged to raise $1 million towards the $5.5 million needed to rebuild the cancer ward at Starship children's hospital in Auckland.
The ward treats two-thirds of
child oncology cases in New Zealand.
Today, Williams made good that promise, handing over a cheque to four-year-old Ethan Rae and his two-year-old brother, Oscar.
Last December, the boys became the first siblings in New Zealand to receive almost simultaneous bone marrow transplants.
Woods underwent knee surgery in June after winning the United States Open and is not expected to be able to swing a club at practice again until the New Year.
Williams said he had been filling in the time doing fundraising to meet a deadline of October.
"Obviously, we didn't want to see Tiger out," he said.
"But it helped us in a sense because we've really got into it in the last three months and it's been really successful."
The funds come from the Steve Williams Foundation, which normally supports junior golf initiatives.
Williams said the money had been raised through activities like speaking engagements and golf days.
"It was a lot of hard work," he said.
"But when you have a target in mind and know what benefits it will have, it's very enjoyable."
Williams said the idea for the donation came from a visit he and wife Kirsty made to Gisborne Hospital on Christmas Day in 2006, when they gave each patient a box of chocolates.
"It moved us so much to see the gratification from all the children and the adults," he said.
"On the way home, my wife said we needed to do something bigger and better and she put her thinking cap on."
Williams and his wife heard about the Starship Foundation's project to rebuild the oncology and haematology ward and visited the hospital.
"After spending a day here, you couldn't help but want to be involved," he said.
"The conditions that the kids and parents are living in now ... you could see how much help was needed. It was a no-brainer."
Starship Foundation chief executive Andrew Young said it was the first time an individual New Zealander had donated $1 million to the foundation.
"From a charity perspective, we're completely blown away by this," he said.
The foundation was now just $284,000 short of its target and Young was confident the balance would be met by public support by the time work began next month.
Although the medical care provided in the ward was second to none, he said the present rooms and facilities were not.
While back in New Zealand, Williams will also act as a television commentator for the first time at the made-for-TV Kiwi Challenge golf event.
The event features Australian Adam Scott and Americans Hunter Mahan, Anthony Kim and Brandt Snedeker competing for the US$1.5 million winner's purse at Kauri Cliffs in Northland and at Cape Kidnappers in the Hawke's Bay on October 27 and 28.
- NZPA
