Area Golf News

Team Of Darius Rucker And Annika Sorenstam Survive Playoff To Capture 2008 Hootie & The Blowfish Monday After The Masters Celebrity Golf Tournament

April 14, 2008, North Myrtle Beach, S.C. – LPGA professional Annika Sorenstam and Hootie & The Blowfish lead singer Darius Rucker survived a one-hole playoff to lead their team to the 2008 Hootie & The Blowfish Monday After the Masters Celebrity Pro-Am Golf Tournament title in the 14th annual Monday After The Masters Tournament in North Myrtle Beach, S.C. on April 14th. Sorenstam and Rucker’s six-person team defeated two other teams in a “chip-off contest” after all teams finished the 18-hole tournament at 16-under-par.
 
For the third consecutive year, a sell-out crowd of 6,000 golf fans packed The Dye Club at Barefoot Resort & Golf to see their favorite celebrities, athletes and musicians compete. All ticket proceeds benefit the Hootie & the Blowfish Foundation, which supports the educational needs of children in South Carolina and the South Carolina Junior Golf Foundation. Over the past 13 years, the Monday After the Masters has raised more than $3.5 million for the charities.
Before the tournament got underway, Hootie & The Blowfish honored five veterans from the Salute Military Golf Association (SMGA) who were invited to participate in the annual celebrity tournament. The five veterans were wounded while fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, and use golf as a rehabilitation tool to get their lives back to normal, with the assistance of the SMGA and the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
 
The field for 2008 Monday After The Masters Tournament featured many of the biggest names in music, television and movies, sports and the professional golf world. The musicians included R&B singer Javier; pop rock performer Edwin McCain; musician Branford Marsalis; Alter Bridge drummer Scott Phillips; country singers Steve Azar and Johnny Lee; singer/songwriter Samantha Cole; Andrew Copeland of Sister Hazel and Dan Tyminski of Union Station. Actors participating in the 2008 Monday After The Masters ranged from Gary Valentine of “King of Queens”; Kevin Sorbo of “Hercules” to comedian Jackie Flynn who made his first Monday After The Masters appearance.
 
Cast members of the new GOLF CHANNEL golf reality show, Road Trip: Myrtle Beach, singer-songwriter Josh Kelley; ESPN commentator Chalie Rymer and Duramed FUTURES TOUR golfer Perry Swenson also participated.
 
Former NFL players Dan Marino, Derek Anderson, Vencie Glenn, Jim McMahon, George Rogers, Gale Sayers, Sterling Sharpe, Kordell Stewart and NFL analyst Paul McGuire competed today, along with former Major League Baseball stars Ken Griffey, Sr., Chuck Finley, Eric Karros and Mickey Tettleton. The professional golf field was once again loaded with talent with a roster that included Annika Sorenstam, Woody Austin, Laura Davies, Josh Broadaway, Jason Caron, Kris Cox, Todd Demsey, Lee Elder, Nick Flanagan, Robert Gamez, Ryan Howison, Billy Kratzert, Mark Lye, Steve Marino, Jim McGovern, David Mobley, Tim O’Neal, D.A. Points, Larry Rinker, Lee Rinker, Mike Sposa, Kevin Streelman, Jim Thorpe, Marc Turnesa and three-time world long drive champion Sean “The Beast” Fister. Coastal Carolina University graduate and new PGA TOUR member Dustin Johnson and Clemson University graduate D.J. Trahan represented the state of South Carolina in the 2008 tournament.
 
“We had a wonderful turnout this year here at The Dye Club at Barefoot Resort & Golf with our third straight sellout,” said Darius Rucker, lead singer of Hootie & The Blowfish. “Thanks to Annika’s leadership, we fielded a strong team this year and worked well together to get back to the winner’s circle in 2008. It was cool to see all of our fans come again and we look forward to seeing everyone again next year.”
 
“The Hootie & The Blowfish Monday After the Masters continues to be one of the most popular events each year in the Myrtle Beach area,” said Bill Golden, Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday President. It would not be a spring golf season here on the Grand Strand without the Monday After the Masters Tournament. Golf fans mark this event on their calendar every year and we look forward to continuing the relationship with the band.”