Hootie & The Blowfish Monday After The Masters Celebrity Pro-Am Golf Tournament Raises Record $461,000 For Charity
20th Annual Event Helps Band Fulfill Goal of Funding Endowment to Benefit Education in South Carolina
The 20th annual Hootie & the Blowfish Monday After the Masters Celebrity Pro-Am golf tournament raised an event record $461,000 for charity, event organizers announced. The money was donated to the Hootie Foundation and helped fulfill the band’s goal of funding an endowment that will provide educational and charitable opportunities for children in South Carolina for years to come.
“Raising $461,000 in our 20th year and fully funding our endowment are incredible accomplishments, and they wouldn’t be possible without the generous support of our friends at Intel, our title sponsor, and Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday,” said Darius Rucker, Hootie’s lead singer and one of country music’s biggest stars. “Intel has been with us since 2008 and its unwavering commitment to K through 12 education, especially math and science, makes it an ideal partner for our foundation. Our goal from the time we teed off at the first Monday After the Masters in 1995 was to create an event that would positively impact children in South Carolina, and we are succeeding.”
The 2014 MAM, played April 14 at Barefoot Resort’s Dye Course, attracted another star-studded field. In addition to band members Darius Rucker, Mark Bryan, Jim “Soni” Sonefeld and Dean Felber, PGA Tour standouts Dustin Johnson and Jim Furyk, Pro Football Hall of Famers Eric Dickerson, Bruce Smith, Richard Dent and Marcus Allen, and Duck Dynasty star Willie Robertson, among many others, participated in the event.
All proceeds from the event benefit the Hootie Foundation, a non-profit organization that was created so the band could support charities they have a passion for. The vast majority of the Hootie Foundation’s efforts benefit education in South Carolina and the South Carolina Junior Golf Association.
“The funding of the endowment is a milestone for the event, the band and each of us personally,” said Sonefeld, Hootie’s drummer. “The endowment will leave a legacy that helps benefit kids throughout the state for decades to come, and that is extraordinarily gratifying for each of us.”
The Monday After the Masters, the largest one-day fundraiser in South Carolina, has been played in Myrtle Beach the last 12 years.
The 2015 MAM will be held April 13 on Barefoot’s Dye Course, a layout that has been ranked among America’s 100 Greatest Public Courses.
For more information, go to www.HootieGolf.com.
About the Hootie Foundation
The Hootie and the Blowfish Foundation, established in 2000, is a private non-profit organization that was created so the band could support charities that were near and dear to their hearts. Among a multitude of philanthropy efforts, the guys focus on public education issues in South Carolina, the state that nurtured their aspirations from the beginning of their career. They aim to support the ongoing fight to even the playing field in educational funding and lend an encouraging hand to all those in need.
The foundation supports hundreds of charities worldwide, donating over $1.8 million to date to multitudes of causes. Their support ranges from building community learning centers to outfitting school marching bands to simply providing educators with the tools they need to nurture children's talents and help them succeed. For more information, go to www.Hootie.com.
Chris King
Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday
843-685-1364
cking@golfholiday.com
About Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday
Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday is a non-profit trade association comprised of 79 championship golf courses and 99 golf package providers in the Myrtle Beach, South Carolina area. Founded in 1967, the organization continues to be the driving force behind the growth of the region’s thriving golf market. The originator of the “Stay and Play Package,” Golf Holiday provides non-biased information about accommodations and golf courses to assist golfers in making the most informed decisions when planning for their next vacation.
Golf Holiday also hosts eight events and tournaments annually to help to foster continued growth of the game. In addition to hosting the Hootie & the Blowfish Monday After The Masters Celebrity Pro-Am Golf Tournament each spring, Golf Holiday also manages the Myrtle Beach World Amateur Handicap Championship – the world's largest single-site amateur golf tournament, the Palmetto High School Golf Championships, the Myrtle Beach Preseason Classic, the March Classic, the Veterans Golf Classic, the Myrtle Beach Never Forgets Memorial Golf Outing and the Fall Classic.
