2021 Morgan & Friends A Different But Unqualified Success

The day after concluding her successful opening week as the Golf Channel lead analyst for the Drive On Championship presented by Volvik, Morgan Pressel hurried home to Delray Beach for the 14^th edition of Morgan & Friends, the fundraiser to promote and support breast cancer screening in southeast Florida.

“We had about 200 players,” Pressel said of the event that was held again at St. Andrews Golf Club.

It was different than most years. With the pandemic still an issue, the normal banquet and auction didn’t happen. But the event still raised around $400,000, an extraordinary feat and a testament to Pressel’s magnetism and passion for this cause. 

“I was very thankful that we were able to do anything, especially during this pandemic that has been so hard on so many charities that have struggled to host events and bring people together,” she said. “Fortunately, we were able to play golf. We weren’t able to have our evening gathering as we have in the past. But we were just thankful that the members of St. Andrews were able to get together, play golf and celebrate everything we’ve accomplished as a foundation.”

Pressel’s mother, Kathy, passed away in 2003 at the age of 43 after battling breast cancer. The Morgan Pressel Foundation was established to promote early testing and treatment.

“If you find breast cancer at stage one, the survival rate is almost 100%,” Pressel said. “Finding it early is the key. It’s something that each individual can do. We also help those women locally who don’t have insurance.” 

The MammoVan, a rolling cancer screening center, was on site at the event again this year, even though COVID protocols prohibited a technician from performing mammograms.    

“Everything was a little different this year,” Pressel said. “But still to be able to raise money and help women in this community, and to still be able to talk about it, gives us the opportunity to remind people to schedule their mammogram or remind a friend to schedule one. It’s still so important to get those yearly checkups done.

“A lot of people have been so worried about COVID that they aren’t getting exams and putting a lot of other health issues on hold, such as getting yearly checkups. But women are still getting breast cancer. That hasn’t ended. Even though we couldn’t do testing, the MammoVan is a traveling billboard, a constant reminder of how important this is.” 

The day after the Morgan & Friends event, Pressel scooted north to West Palm Beach to Baynan Golf Club for another event where members raised money for the foundation. 

“We’re just so thankful for all the support,” she said. “It means the world to us that, even if these times, people still came out, still helped us raise money and awareness. It’s truly humbling.”