All-star Anaheim Ducks Captain Ryan Getzlaf Hosts 5th Annual Getzlaf Shootout to Cure Deadly Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Ryan Getzlaf, captain of the Anaheim Ducks hockey team, and his fellow players stepped off the ice and onto Monarch Beach Golf Club fairways once again on Sept. 13 to support the 5th Annual Getzlaf Golf Shootout to help find a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

The event raised $440,000 for CureDuchenne to help find a cure for this deadly genetic disease that causes muscle degeneration. Since the inaugural Getzlaf shootout, this event has raised more than $1.3 million dollars to help save the lives of more than 300,000 boys worldwide with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

The weekend event began Saturday, Sept. 12 with a reception at Sutra Lounge in Costa Mesa with more than 400 guests and included a sold-out field of athletes and supporters for a golf shootout at the Monarch Beach Links in Dana Point the next day. In attendance were dozens of current and former all-star National Hockey League, Major League Baseball and Major Soccer League athletes including Teemu Selanne; most of Getzlaf’s Anaheim Ducks teammates including Corey Perry, Ryan Kesler, Cam Fowler, Clayton Stoner and Andrew Cogliano; former MLB player Chuck Finley and Garret Anderson; and LA Galaxy player David Romney.

Getzlaf, a former Olympic gold medalist, and his wife Paige have supported CureDuchenne for several years after meeting Hawken Miller. Now, 18 and beginning his freshman year at University of Southern California, Miller singlehandedly transformed the way Getzlaf perceived his professional 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.”

“The CureDuchenne family is so grateful for the heartfelt support of these athletes,” said Debra Miller, Founder and CEO of CureDuchenne. “To boys who progressively lose their physical ability to walk and run, these athletes are heroes who care.”

Getzlaf Golf Shootout sponsors include Patriot Environmental Services, CNC Motors, ActivePDF, G&M Oil, The Sports Corporation, Fullmer Construction, Gateway One Lending & Finance, Air Control Systems, Ayres Hotels, Carlile Coatsworth Architects, Case Packaging and Mark Beamish Waterproofing.

CureDuchenne was founded in 2003 with a focus on saving the lives of those with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a disease that affects more than 300,000 boys worldwide. With support from CureDuchenne the FDA could approve three pharmaceutical treatments within the next year. These treatments may lessen the effects of the disease for those with certain mutations of Duchenne, but there is still much to be done to find a cure. For more information, please visit CureDuchenne.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.