MYRTLE BEACH - Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday recently announced that more than $65,000 was raised during the second annual Know Your Score: Fight Prostate Cancer Celebrity Golf Tournament and Gala held Aug. 29, 2009. Since starting the prostate education and research campaign in 2008, the Myrtle Beach golf community has helped raised more than $205,000 for the Know Your Score: Fight Prostate Cancer and ZERO - the Project to End Prostate Cancer campaigns.
The day began with an 18-hole celebrity golf tournament at The Long Bay Club in North Myrtle Beach, S.C. with each participant having the opportunity to play golf with one of the celebrities who traveled to Myrtle Beach to help fight prostate cancer. After golf, participants headed to Kingston Plantation in North Myrtle Beach for the Gala for dinner, entertainment and the opportunity to bid on sports memorabilia during a silent auction.
Honorary spokesperson, and Syracuse University head basketball coach, Jim Boeheim was on hand at the golf tournament and gala where he was joined by entertainment personalities and former professional athletes including actor Craig T. Nelson, well known for his role on the television show "Coach"; Bobby Cremins, current College of Charleston head basketball coach who also led the Georgia Tech program for 19 years; former member of the Big Red Machine and an 11-year Major League Baseball veteran, Doug Flynn; former Yankees catcher Rick Cerone; Dan Hampton, a 12-year member of the Chicago Bears and a 2001 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee; Golf Channel personality Charlie Rymer; Ewa Mataya Laurance, 2008 World Trick Shot champion and World 9-Ball champion; ESPN billiards commentator and prostate cancer survivor Mitch Laurance; world-renowned saxophonist Branford Marsalis; Wes Matthews, a member of the 1986 and 1987 Los Angeles Lakers World Championship teams; and Tony Womack, a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks' 2001 World Championship team.
During the 2009 PGA Tour Superstore World Amateur Handicap Championship, held in Myrtle Beach during the week of Aug. 31 - Sept. 4, more than $4,500 was donated by participating golfers to benefit the prostate cancer campaigns.
Each night at the World Am's 19th Hole, golfers participated in closest-to-the pin simulator contests and purchased tickets to play billiards against World 9-Ball champion, Ewa Laurance. Golfers who defeated Laurance received PGA Tour Superstore gift cards and were registered to free entry into the 2010 World Am with the winner will be announced later in the fall.
"The entire Myrtle Beach golf community has eagerly embraced the Know Your Score campaign to help raise money for prostate cancer research and spread the word about the importance of early detection," said Bill Golden, president of Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday. "When we started working with ZERO in 2008, we set a goal of raising $250,000 for the battle against prostate cancer. We still have a few events planned in 2009 and hope to exceed our goal."
"Many golfers are at risk for prostate cancer and are close to someone who has been impacted by the disease," said Jamie Bearse, COO of ZERO. "That's why this partnership with Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday is so important. We're delighted and honored to work with Golf Holiday and other area partners on ending prostate cancer. Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday has emerged as a national leader in this fight and countless loves have been saved because of their efforts."