Tickets for the 12th Annual Hootie & the Blowfish Monday After the Masters Celebrity Pro-Am Golf Tournament To Go On Sale Saturday, February 25
February 23, 2006, North Myrtle Beach, S.C. – Hootie & the Blowfish and Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday announced that the 2006 Monday After the Masters Celebrity Pro-Am Golf Tournament will be held Monday, April 10 at the Dye Course at Barefoot Resort & Golf in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. This is the fourth year that Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday and Barefoot Resort have hosted the event with all ticket proceeds benefiting the South Carolina Junior Golf Foundation and the Hootie & the Blowfish Foundation, which supports the educational needs of children in South Carolina.
Band members Darius Rucker and Mark Bryan were present at today’s press conference, along with Bill Golden, vice president and director of marketing of Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday, to announce details about the 2006 Tournament, disclose the celebrities and professional golfers signed on for this year’s event and answer questions from the media. Happ Lathrop, executive director of the South Carolina Junior Golf Association and Joseph Washington, executive director of the First Tee Myrtle Beach program, were also on hand to speak about South Carolina’s junior golf program and the Grand Strand’s inaugural First Tee program.
"The 2006 Monday After the Masters Tournament may be our biggest ever," said Rucker. "I am excited to announce that Hall of Fame golfer Arnold Palmer and University of South Carolina’s head football coach Steve Spurrier will both make their first appearance at this year’s event."
"When we started the Monday After the Masters Tournament in 1994, we wanted to host an event that would be fun for our guests and fans," said Bryan. "But, the tournament is really about helping raise money for our South Carolina junior golf and educational charities. As the event continues to grow and gain national recognition, we are able to raise more money for the charities and that is why we are all here today."
"We would like to thank Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday for their support and help during these four years. They’ve helped take our tournament to a new level."
The field for the 12th annual Monday After the Masters includes musicians from many different genres including jazz saxophonist Branford Marsalis; R&B singer Javier; pop rock performers Josh Kelley, Jason Mraz and members of Sister Hazel; rock legend Meat Loaf; current Alter Bridge and former Creed drummer Scott Phillips; and country singer Steve Azar.
Celebrities participating in the 2006 Tournament include Ryan Haus of West Coast Customs and MTV’s "Pimp My Ride" fame, ESPN host Stuart Scott, Gary Valentine of "The King of Queens", Kevin Sorbo of TV’s "Hercules" and "Andromeda", "All My Children’s" Cameron Mathison and TV personality Mitch Laurance. From the sports world, former NFL stars Gale Sayers, Dwight Clark, Tony Siragusa, Jim McMahon and Bryan Cox and golf fitness expert Katherine Roberts will participate.
The professional golf field is once again loaded with talent including John Daly, J.B. Holmes, Lee Elder, Woody Austin, Ricky Barnes, Brian Bateman, Sean Fister, Robert Gamez, Brian Gay, Mark Lye, Troy Matteson, Jim McGovern, David Mobley, Pat Perez, Tim Petrovic, D.A. Points, Larry Rinker, Lee Rinker, John Rollins, Charlie Rymer, Mike Sposa, Kyle Thompson, D.J. Trahan and Bo Van Pelt.
Monday After the Masters participants will have the opportunity to bid on a piece of history as Hootie & the Blowfish donated the band’s first touring van, a 1993 Ford Econoline Conversion Van Explorer. The van will be customized by West Coast Customs, the automotive restyling center that handled the conversions on MTV’s "Pimp My Ride," and will be auctioned off at Sunday night’s party at the House of Blues in North Myrtle Beach.
"We are excited to host the Monday after the Masters Celebrity Pro-Am Golf Tournament in Myrtle Beach for the fourth year," said Golden. "The Monday after the Masters Tournament has meant so much to the Grand Strand and we are proud to partner with an event that helps fund the state’s junior golf program and bring national media attention to the Myrtle Beach area."
Monday After the Masters tickets go on sale Saturday, February 25th at 10:00 a.m. at the House of Blues, the Barefoot Resort & Golf pro shops and all Ticketmaster outlets. Tickets are $10 with children 12 years of age and younger admitted free. Each child under 12 will need a complimentary ticket that can be picked up on the day of the event at the general parking area in Barefoot Landing near the Alabama Theater.
On Friday, February 24th at 9:00 a.m., a limited number of "Concert Only" VIP passes for the "Hootie and Friends concert, proudly presented by Dunlop Golf" will be available on a "first-come, first-serve basis." For more information on purchasing concert passes or volunteer opportunities at the tournament, visit www.hootiegolf.com.
Widely considered as one of the most popular celebrity pro-ams in the country, the tournament attracts thousands of people who enjoy the music of the two-time Grammy award winners as well as the friendly competition between the band and their celebrity and PGA friends.
Over the past 11 years, the tournament has donated more than $3 million to the South Carolina Junior Golf Foundation and the Hootie & the Blowfish Foundation, which supports the educational needs of South Carolina.
A record $425,000 was raised at the 11th annual Monday After the Masters and those donations were distributed in December to the Hootie & the Blowfish Foundation ($200,000), the South Carolina Junior Golf Association ($120,000), the First Tee Program of Spartanburg ($30,000), the South Carolina Juvenile Diabetes Foundation ($15,000) and $50,000 to a holding fund for the future Charleston junior golf facility.
Two recipients of previous Monday after the Masters donations, the South Carolina Junior Golf Foundation and the First Tee of Myrtle Beach program thanked Hootie & the Blowfish for their contributions to junior golf in South Carolina and announced that the inaugural First Tee of Myrtle Beach program launched in the fall of 2005. The First Tee program is dedicated to helping fourth, fifth and sixth graders of all backgrounds develop life-enhancing values such as honesty, integrity and sportsmanship through golf and character education.
The children meet each Thursday afternoon for six weeks at the Cane Patch Par 3 facility, the official Grand Strand home for First Tee, from 3:30 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. to learn life skills, golf skills and core values.
About Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday
Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday is a non-profit trade association of 60 accommodations, 85 championship golf courses and four golf schools in the Myrtle Beach, South Carolina area. Founded in 1967, the organization has been and continues to be the driving force behind the growth of the Myrtle Beach area golf market. In addition to hosting the Hootie and the Blowfish Monday After The Masters Celebrity Pro-Am Golf Tournament and Golfapalooza each April, Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday also manages the PGA TOUR Superstore World Amateur Handicap Championship – the world’s largest single amateur golf tournament, Golf Holiday also hosts the Summer Family Golf Tournaments, the Spring and Fall Palmetto High School Golf Championships, the Veterans Golf Classic and the FDNY 9-11 Memorial Golf Outing. For more information, please call Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday at 1-800-833-8798 or visit www.golfholiday.com.
Contact:
Cheryl Harden or Erin Barrett
Brandon Advertising & PR
(843) 916-2000
Susan Graham
Fishco Management
(803) 254-6977
