American swimmer Michael Phelps joins golfers to raise money for charity

Michael Phelps

America's most decorated Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, 33, was the celebrity guest at the US Venture Open, a one-day golf event held to raise money for charity to fight poverty in the Green Bay, Appleton and Oshkosh areas in USA.

"It's fun being part of something that people are so passionate about. They're going to go out and try to raise as much as they can. You see that," Phelps told USA TODAY. Organisers were hoping to raise $4 million (approx R27 crore) for the first time. Last year, the event raised a record $3.96 million with NBA star Dwyane Wade as the celebrity guest. To their surprise, the organisers managed to raise a record $4.13 million (approx R28 crore).

Phelps, who retired from competitive swimming, added: "I get to get up every day and still work toward the goals that I have. What we're doing outside of the pool, it's bigger than anything we've ever done in the pool," said Phelps.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates