‘That money will go a long way’: Myrtle Beach Classic will give $225K to local charities
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) - As the Grand Strand’s first PGA Tournament inches ever closer, organizers announced nine local charities will benefit from the tournament.
Darren Nelson, the Myrtle Beach Classic’s tournament director, announced on Monday that a total of $225,000 from the revenue generated from the tournament will go toward the non-profits.
“The charities selected are all doing impactful and meaningful work, and we are proud to provide assistance to further promote these programs that are making such a huge difference on the Grand Strand,” Nelson said. “The PGA TOUR has a time-honored tradition of supporting charities and giving back to each community where events are hosted.”
Help 4 Kids, one of the benefiting charities, said they are extremely grateful for the money. The organization delivers food to 40 Horry County schools and feeds more than 3,000 kids a week.
“Oh Lord, that money will go a long way,” Barb Mains, who founded Help 4 Kids in 1989, said. “It will feed the kids for two months. Our kids won’t have to go home from school for the weekends without food.”
The other eight benefiting charities are listed below:
- Blue Star Mothers of Coastal Carolina
- Boys and Girls Clubs of the Grand Strand
- Champion Autism Network
- Children’s Recovery Center
- Classy Smiles
- Helping Hand of Myrtle Beach
- Project Golf
- SOS Care
The Myrtle Beach Classic tees off from May 9-12 at the Dunes Golf and Beach Club as part of the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup schedule.
At Monday’s conference, Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Karen Riordan recalled when the tournament was just an idea.
“And I posed what I thought was a provocative question... why can’t the golf capital of the world host a PGA tournament here in Myrtle Beach?” Riordan said. “And the answer, of course, was well, we can, we can do that.”
Fast forward to now, and Nelson said there’s already a lot of work behind the scenes, with more than 1,500 volunteers lending a hand.
He said the Myrtle Beach Classic will bring millions of dollars to the Grand Strand and hundreds of golf pros and fans.
Nelson cannot wait for the tee-off in just a little more than 70 days.
“The club’s excited, our sponsors are excited, the volunteers are certainly excited,” Nelson said. “We’ll have 132 of the best PGA tour players in the world, and there’s only 40 plus of these events in the entire world. So how cool is it to have one right here in our backyard.”
Dunes Golf and Beach Club President Blair Anderson listed several projects on the golf course that were finished in preparation for the PGA event.
“People have no idea how much planning and effort is needed to welcome the best players in the world to this club, and to only have about 12 months notice before the first tee ball is struck is a tight window, to say the least,” Anderson said. “It is simply mind blowing how the entire team gets things done here at the Dunes Golf and Beach Club every day.
There will also be several family activities, events and concerts for people to enjoy throughout the week of the Myrtle Beach Classic. Grand Strand native and TV personality Vanna White will be at some of those special events, officials said.
The Myrtle Beach Classic tournament’s purse is about $4 million and 300 FedEx Cup points are available for the tournament’s champion.
The full news conference can be viewed below:
MORE | Full Myrtle Beach Classic Coverage
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