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The Columbia Years
In the early 90’s, when Hootie and the Blowfish started playing clubs in Columbia, SC, they never expected they would soon become a household name. And in 1995, when the band decided to put their name on a local golf tournament, they never realized it would soon become one of the most successful celebrity pro-am golf tournaments in the country. The “Monday after the Masters” was first held at Spring Valley Country Club and featured 15 touring pros from the PGA Tour.
Although that 1st event was not a tremendous financial success, it made the band eager to try it again. They saw the potential and wanted their next event to be one of the hottest pro-ams on the East Coast - an event no one would want to miss.
To reach these lofty goals, they knew they’d need to enlist the help of a few friends. In 1996, Masters Champions Nick Faldo, Fred Couples and Craig Stadler joined Peter Jacobsen, Gary McCord, Kenny Perry, Fred Funk and David Duval for an unbelievable day of golf and music.
In addition to their PGA buddies, they also invited a few celebrities like Dan Marino and George Rogers to come and support their charitable efforts. Corporate sponsors from all over the country came to town to accomplish what everyone set out to do, raise as much money as possible for the tournament's charities. And it worked.
In 1996, the Hootie & The Blowfish Pro-Am became the largest single-day fundraiser in the history of Columbia, South Carolina. The event, with a $50,000 matching grant from the USGA, raised almost $200,000 for its charities. In total, there were 58 teams, each with a professional golfer, spread out over both of Fort Jackson's championship courses.
How could the band top that success in 1997? Well, the band again had a stellar list of PGA Tour players like John Daly, Craig Stadler, Jay Haas, Peter Jacobsen, Kenny Perry, along with celebrities like Dan Marino, Brett Favre, Jim Harbaugh and Alice Cooper, all came to town to challenge each other's teams to win the trophy and the hearts of the thousands of fans in attendance.
The tournament also moved to a new venue, The University Club, and with a bevy of corporate sponsors on board, the MAM enjoyed another successful year of over $150,000 raised for charity.
In 1998, the tournament joined forces with ESPN and brought in the biggest name in golf, Tiger Woods. With John Daly and David Duval there as well, the 1998 event was a huge stepping stone for this tournament...but things would get even bigger.
For the 1999 event, Darwin Partners signed up as the Title Sponsor and the tourney reached the $1,000,000 mark for total dollars given to charity.
As the new millennium approached, the tournament’s success continued. Dan Marino and recently crowned US Amateur champion, Matt Kuchar, joined Hootie front man, Darius Rucker, to take home the crown. The 2000 event was the last one in Columbia and it left many lasting memories for those who were lucky enough to be a part of it.
The Columbia Years
In the early 90’s, when Hootie and the Blowfish started playing clubs in Columbia, SC, they never expected they would soon become a household name. And in 1995, when the band decided to put their name on a local golf tournament, they never realized it would soon become one of the most successful celebrity pro-am golf tournaments in the country. The “Monday after the Masters” was first held at Spring Valley Country Club and featured 15 touring pros from the PGA Tour.
Although that 1st event was not a tremendous financial success, it made the band eager to try it again. They saw the potential and wanted their next event to be one of the hottest pro-ams on the East Coast - an event no one would want to miss.
To reach these lofty goals, they knew they’d need to enlist the help of a few friends. In 1996, Masters Champions Nick Faldo, Fred Couples and Craig Stadler joined Peter Jacobsen, Gary McCord, Kenny Perry, Fred Funk and David Duval for an unbelievable day of golf and music.
In addition to their PGA buddies, they also invited a few celebrities like Dan Marino and George Rogers to come and support their charitable efforts. Corporate sponsors from all over the country came to town to accomplish what everyone set out to do, raise as much money as possible for the tournament's charities. And it worked.
In 1996, the Hootie & The Blowfish Pro-Am became the largest single-day fundraiser in the history of Columbia, South Carolina. The event, with a $50,000 matching grant from the USGA, raised almost $200,000 for its charities. In total, there were 58 teams, each with a professional golfer, spread out over both of Fort Jackson's championship courses.
How could the band top that success in 1997? Well, the band again had a stellar list of PGA Tour players like John Daly, Craig Stadler, Jay Haas, Peter Jacobsen, Kenny Perry, along with celebrities like Dan Marino, Brett Favre, Jim Harbaugh and Alice Cooper, all came to town to challenge each other's teams to win the trophy and the hearts of the thousands of fans in attendance.
The tournament also moved to a new venue, The University Club, and with a bevy of corporate sponsors on board, the MAM enjoyed another successful year of over $150,000 raised for charity.
In 1998, the tournament joined forces with ESPN and brought in the biggest name in golf, Tiger Woods. With John Daly and David Duval there as well, the 1998 event was a huge stepping stone for this tournament...but things would get even bigger.
For the 1999 event, Darwin Partners signed up as the Title Sponsor and the tourney reached the $1,000,000 mark for total dollars given to charity.
As the new millennium approached, the tournament’s success continued. Dan Marino and recently crowned US Amateur champion, Matt Kuchar, joined Hootie front man, Darius Rucker, to take home the crown. The 2000 event was the last one in Columbia and it left many lasting memories for those who were lucky enough to be a part of it.