US golfer Harold Varner III puts sports to one side to focus on Hurricane Helene relief efforts

By Patrick Snell and Glen Levy, CNN

(CNN) — American golfer Harold Varner III has put his clubs to one side in order to help with the relief efforts taking place in his home state of North Carolina, which has been severely impacted by Helene, the deadliest hurricane to hit the US mainland since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

The hurricane tore a destructive path through the southeastern United States a week ago, killing more than 200 people across the country and at least 106 people in North Carolina.

Born in Ohio but raised in North Carolina, Varner enjoyed three wins on tour after turning professional in 2012, before he joined the breakaway Saudi-backed LIV Golf in August 2022, where he has also experienced success – most notably triumphing at the 2023 LIV Golf Washington D.C. event.

But the past few days have seen Varner and his team fully focused on using his resources to help those who need it the most.

“You want to be there for the people that have been there for you,” Varner said in an interview with CNN World Sport’s Patrick Snell.

“Obviously, most of the time in my life, everyone’s been there for me, and I just so happen to be not playing golf. So it worked out.

“It was a great opportunity to help if I could. And I think a lot of people are helping and I just try to do my part the best I can.”

Per his GoFundMe page, which has raised over $10,000 so far, Varner and the HV3 Team have been providing vital relief to communities in western North Carolina, distributing essential supplies.

However, they know they can’t do it alone and have appealed for critical supplies such as chainsaws, fuel, generators, and medical equipment that they can deliver to those in need.

“I’m learning that people are so resilient, just chiming in, helping out best they can, even though they’ve lost everything. It makes you look at the stuff you accumulate, the materialistic things, and who’s in your life a little differently I would think,” Varner says.

”Just knowing that people are missing, there’s so many people helping. It’s not just me, I just happen to have a voice.

“I think you just try to do the right thing. I was not forced to do this, but asked to, and whatever it takes to just help people to try to just figure it out. We’re at the stage where we’re just trying to find as many people. Do the best we can, because there’s no perfect way to deal with this.”

A massive relief effort is underway across the region to attempt to restore power grids and rebuild damaged water and cell phone infrastructure. Hundreds of roads remain closed, impeding efforts to send aid to hard-hit communities. And for those who left before Hurricane Helene, the closures have hampered efforts to check on family, friends and the state of their homes.

Indeed, some areas became so inaccessible that supplies have been delivered by mule and air. Speaking from his firsthand experience, Varner points out that people need access to insulin and warm clothing.

For Varner, who recently wrapped up the latest LIV Golf season, his response to the extreme dangers posed by Hurricane Helene has shown what can be achieved by teamwork outside of a sporting context.

In the immediate aftermath of the hurricane, Varner and his team spent two days on the ground, with the golfer making it clear that he didn’t want any video broadcast, noting on his Instagram page “this is personal.”

But after witnessing the devastation, he changed his mind, saying “we need to video this, people need to know how bad this is. We need more help.”

“It’s obviously making a difference because I’m talking to you,” Varner notes about the impact an interview with CNN can make in terms of wider awareness.

“You saw the devastation, you saw these things that you would hope would never happen to you, but you would hope, more importantly, that someone would come help you if you’re in a predicament like that. So that’s what we’re gonna do. You know, I’m trying to be as optimistic as possible.”

Optimism is not the only thing at his disposal. Varner is creating a practical plan to ensure his personal wealth, via his golf career, can be put to good use to continue the relief efforts.

It’s important to “be kind, be generous obviously with your time, with your money,” he said.

“But also be comforting when you have moments of grieving, whether they lost someone, they lost their house, or they lost whatever it may be.”

His optimism also extends to what a successful 2025 on the golf course could indeed do for the wider community off it.

“Oh, I wanna win,” Varner concludes. “There’s a lot of money to be made. It costs a lot of money to help people, and if I win I can help a lot more people.”

Click here for ways to help those left in Helene’s aftermath.

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