By Api Podder

Teen Cancer America was in the golfing world spotlight this weekend as 23-year-old PGA TOUR professional and TCA ambassador Daniel Berger, teaming with caddie Grant Berry, held off some of golf’s hottest hands to win the FedEx St. Jude Classic in Memphis.

It was the first TOUR win for Berger, who displays the TCA logo on his golf bag. Minding the bag, Berry, husband of founding TCA board member Sally Webb, wears the TCA logo prominently on his hat.

Berger, who was the Tour’s top rookie last season, edged out five-time major champion Phil Mickelson, 12-time TOUR winner Steve Stricker, former Florida State teammate Brooks Koepka and five-time Tour winner Dustin Johnson – currently 6th in the world – to win on Sunday at TPC Southwind.

“Winning is always an amazing feeling, but to win an event benefitting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and their efforts to fight childhood cancer while also bringing national attention to TCA makes this win particularly special,” said Berger.

TCA is the non-profit founded by rock ‘n’ roll icons Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend of The Who. Its mission is to develop specialized facilities that address the age-specific clinical and psychosocial needs of teenagers and young adults with cancer. Webb, a native of the U.K. who is CEO of The Special Event Company located in Cary, N.C. and London, England, has been involved with the charity since the original initiative, Teenage Cancer Trust, was created in Great Britain in 1991.

“TCA is such a wonderful cause, it did not take much persuading to get Grant and Daniel to support us on the PGA Tour – but being married to the caddie didn’t hurt,” said Webb, “We’re especially pleased to have a charismatic young PGA star like Daniel representing other young people that are fighting this terrible disease.”

Since launching in the U.S. in 2012, TCA has projects underway or in development with world class cancer centers at UCLA, Stanford, Memorial Sloan Kettering (New York), Dana-Farber (Harvard), Yale, University of Chicago, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Moffitt (Tampa), Vanderbilt, Baylor and Case University. Partnerships with more than 50 hospitals around the country are in various stages of planning.

“Our TCA ambassadors, starting with Roger and Pete, and including others such as Eddie Vedder, Joan Jett, The Band Perry and of course Daniel Berger, are critical to the success of TCA,” said Webb. “We plan to continue building a dedicated and dynamic roster of celebrities in music, sports and entertainment who can use their star power to help make our mission in the U.S. a reality.”