Local Surgeon Served as Team USA Doctor for Recent Celebrity Golf Cup

Local spine surgeon Grant D. Shifflett, M.D. had the honor of serving as USA Team Doctor at the St. Moritz U.S. Celebrity Golf Cup for the Ryder Cup Trust. The charity event held every two years pits teams of American and European celebrities, VIPs and amateur golfers against each other to raise awareness and money for different causes. This year’s beneficiaries were the Klitschko Foundation and #GolfersforUkraine.

Dr. Shifflett, who is known affectionately as “The Golfing Doc” at Newport Beach-based DISC Sports & Spine Center, also played in the event for Team USA. After journeying to the Engadin Golf Club in St. Moritz, Switzerland, to assume his dual role, he got the opportunity to compete with the European long drive champion, Ilija Djurdjevic, former Danish soccer goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel and European team captain Ian Randell, who (among many other things) is a member of the Royal & Ancient.

“One of my personal highlights was getting to meet with Jerry King and Terry Rowles, two of the top PGA teachers in the world,” Dr. Shifflett recalls. “But what moved me the most was the keynote speaker Vladimir Klitschko, who addressed the group via video from Ukraine to discuss the crisis. I was proud to be part of an event that helped generate much-needed humanitarian assistance for families impacted in Ukraine.”

Beyond the spirited competition out on the links, the festivities included a black-tie gala and live charity auction, an event that collected some 100,000 Swiss francs for the Klitschko Foundation, which benefits Ukrainian children.