Charleston is well on the path to a junior golf facility as a result of the 2005 Hootie and the Blowfish Monday After the Masters celebrity pro-am. The tournament has earmarked $425,000 for a number of charitable causes, including $50,000 toward a junior golf facility for Charleston.
Others receiving funds included the Hootie and the Blowfish Foundation, which received $200,000; the South Carolina Junior Golf Association, $120,000; First Tee Program of Spartanburg, $30,000; South Carolina Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, $15,000; and Fishouse Foundation of New Hampshire, $10,000.
"When we started the Monday After the Masters Celebrity Pro-Am Golf Tournament 12 years ago, one of our goals was to make a difference in the lives of youth in our home state of South Carolina," said Darius Rucker of Hootie and the Blowfish. "Each year, the tournament grows and more money is raised to benefit our chosen charities. We are grateful to our faithful fans and friends who helped us set a new donation record in 2005. We look forward to an even bigger and better Monday After the Masters in 2006."
The 2006 event will be played April 10 at Barefoot Resort in North Myrtle Beach.
Hubbard wins PJGT event
Richard Hubbard of Mount Pleasant shot 78 on the Ocean Course and 77 at Harbour Town to win the boys' 10-11 age group in the Plantations Junior Golf Tour event played at Sea Pines Plantation on Hilton Head Island.
Big Break winner
Paul Holtby of California held
off England's Guy Woodman in an 18-hole match to win the Big Break IV: USA vs. Europe reality show broadcast on The Golf Channel. The series began with six-man teams representing the U.S. and Europe with one player eliminated each week. Among the participants was Tommy "Two Gloves" Gainey of Bishopville.
Holtby won the match, 1-up, and earned exemptions into the European PGA Tour's Celtic Manor Wales Open and Algarve Open de Portugal, along with a corporate sponsorship package from Bridgestone Golf, $5,000 gift card to Dick's Sporting Goods and a two-year lease on a 2006 Ford Explorer.
Two-Man Championship
Amateurgolf.com will hold the Kiawah Island Two-Man Championship at the resort's Oak Point, Turtle Point and Ocean courses Feb. 25-28. The format is 54 holes of best-ball stroke play with scratch, senior and limited-handicap net divisions. For information, check out www.amateurgolf.com/kiawah or call (760) 929-9297.
Upcoming ...
--The 2005 Parent-Child Championship will be played Monday at Charleston Municipal. The event is open to all parents and grandparents with children and grandchildren. Flights will start at children under 12 and extend to children 50 and older.
--The Youth Quest Foundation's third annual National Guard Youth Challenge Golf Tournament will be played Jan. 3 at Charleston National Country Club. More than 40 local NFL alumni have been invited to participate. To sign up, call 1-877-204-8825 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday-Friday.
--Registration forms also can be downloaded from the tournament website, www.youthquestfoundation.com.
