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2015 BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation Announces Celebrity Tournament and Concert Participants
Free Main Street public concert will include members of Hootie and the Blowfish, members of Rascal Flatts, lead
singer of Collective Soul and others
GREENVILLE, S.C. (April 23, 2015) - Twenty-nine celebrities, including seven first-time participants, will be in
Greenville the week of May 11 for the 2015 BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation. In addition to
the participating celebrities, tournament officials also announced the lineup for the free Celebrity Concert on Main
presented by Piedmont Natural Gas and The Reserve at Lake Keowee. The concert is open to the public and will be
held on Main Street on May 14 from 6-10 p.m.
First-time celebrity participants include Chandler Catanzaro (Arizona Cardinals placekicker), Sam Hennings
(“Memphis Beat”), Kira Kazantsev (Miss America 2015), Kevin Rahm (“Mad Men”), Ed Roland (Collective Soul lead
singer), Tim Wakefield (former Boston Red Sox pitcher) and Clay Walker (country music artist).
Returning celebrities include Anthony Anderson (“Black-ish”), musician Steve Azar, Lucas Black (“NCIS: New
Orleans”), Mark Bryan (Hootie and the Blowfish), Javier Colon (“The Voice” Season 1 champion), Lisa Cornwell (Golf
Channel), Jay DeMarcus (Rascal Flatts), Jeffrey Donovan (“Burn Notice”), Debbe Dunning (“Home Improvement”),
Dean Felber (Hootie and the Blowfish), musician Colt Ford, Dennis Haysbert (“24”), Oliver Hudson (“Nashville”),
Richard Karn (“Home Improvement”), two-time Super Bowl champion Jim McMahon, Frankie Muniz (“Malcolm in the
Middle”), Terry O’Quinn (“Lost”), John O’Hurley (“Seinfeld”), Rob Riggle (“The Hangover”), Joe Don Rooney (Rascal
Flatts), Gary Valentine (“Paul Blart: Mall Cop”) and Patrick Warburton (“Seinfeld”).
Tournament officials announced the news today along with Greenville Drive fans at Fluor Field during The Drive’s
home game vs. the Asheville Tourists. Fans in attendance at today’s game can use their ticket stubs to gain one single-day admission to the tournament.
Officials also announced the celebrity lineup for a free concert in downtown Greenville. The concert will feature
performances by musicians Mark Bryan, Javier Colon, Jay DeMarcus, Dean Felber, Colt Ford, Ed Roland, Joe Don
Rooney and Clay Walker. Actor Terry O’Quinn and Miss America 2015, Kira Kazantsev, will also perform.
“We are thrilled to bring this type of collaborative celebrity performance to the community,” said Darin MacDonald,
executive director of South Carolina Charities, Inc. “To have that many talented musicians on stage and offer it free to
the public is such a tremendous opportunity for our area. It’s a unique show that you won’t see anywhere else.”
The Celebrity Concert on Main presented by Piedmont Natural Gas and The Reserve at Lake Keowee will take place
on Thursday, May 14 from 6-10pm near the corner of Main Street and Broad Street. The event will feature
concessions provided by Highway 301 Food Truck, Papi’s Tacos, Larkin’s on the River and Passerelle Bistro. The
event will feature the Reyka Glacial Lounge, where attendees can grab a drink and listen to music coming from the
SANDLAPPER Securities Stage.
About the Celebrities
Actor Anthony Anderson currently stars in ABC’s award-winning sitcom “Black-ish” and is also well-known for his role
on NBC’s Emmy Award-winning drama “Law & Order”. Anderson has appeared in more than 20 films including
“Transformers”, “The Departed” and “Scary Movie 3”. This will be Anderson’s third time participating in the
tournament.
Steve Azar is a modern day renaissance man, hit songwriter, recording artist, music producer, golfer and
philanthropist. Steve calls his own breed of music “Delta Soul,” a mixture of country, rock and blues. His debut album
Waitin’ On Joe was released in 2001. This is Azar’s seventh tournament appearance.
Actor Lucas Black currently appears on the CBS series “NCIS: New Orleans”. Black started his career at age 11 with
a part in the feature film “The War,” which quickly led to starring roles in the TV series “American Gothic” and the cult
feature film “Sling Blade”. Black’s additional film credits include “42,” “The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift,” and he
can be seen in the film “Fast & Furious 7.” This will be Black’s sixth time participating in the tournament.
Mark Bryan is a founding member, songwriter and the guitar player for multi-platinum Hootie & the Blowfish. This will
be Bryan’s sixth time playing in the tournament.
Chandler Catanzaro was the placekicker for Clemson University’s football team from 2010-2013. He is currently the
placekicker for the Arizona Cardinals. This will be his first time participating in the tournament.
Musician Javier Colon is best known for winning Season 1 of NBC’s The Voice. Before winning The Voice, Colon was
a member of The Derek Trucks Band and worked with many musicians before going solo. This will be Colon’s tenth
appearance.
Lisa Cornwell joined Golf Channel in 2014 as a host for “Golf Central”. Prior to joining the network, Cornwell
previously hosted SEC Press Pass, a syndicated college football show that she founded in 2011, and served as a
studio host, reporter and play-by-play announcer for the Big Ten Network. She also has worked as an anchor and
reporter for NBC, CBS and ABC affiliate news stations in Mississippi, Tennessee and Ohio. This will be Cornwell’s
second time participating in the tournament.
Jay DeMarcus is the bass guitarist, harmony vocalist, pianist, record producer and songwriter in the multi-platinumselling country-pop group Rascal Flatts. This will be DeMarcus’s third time participating in the tournament.
Actor Jeffrey Donovan is well-known for his starring role in USA Network’s “Burn Notice” as well as supporting roles
in movies such as “Hitch” with Will Smith and “J. Edgar” with Leonardo DiCaprio. This will be his fourth appearance.
Actress Debbe Dunning is best-known for her role as “Tool Time Girl” Heidi Keppert on the ABC sitcom “Home
Improvement,” which she played for six seasons. Other TV and film credits include appearances on “Married With
Children,” “Baywatch” and “Silk Stalkings.” This will be Dunning’s second time participating in the tournament.
Dean Felber is a founding member and bass guitar player for multi-platinum Hootie & the Blowfish. This will be
Felber’s sixth time playing in the tournament.
Colt Ford has topped the country charts but also holds the credentials of a rapper, songwriter and even a professional
golfer. This will be Ford’s second time playing in the tournament.
Actor Dennis Haysbert is well-known for his role as President David Palmer in FOX’s “24” and as Jonas Blane on
CBS’s “The Unit.” He is currently the official spokesman for Allstate Insurance Company. This will be Haysbert’s
second time playing in the tournament.
Actor Sam Hennings is best known for his role on the TNT series “Memphis Beat”. Additional roles include those on
the television series “J.A.G.” and the film “Aviator”. This will be Hennings’ first time playing in the tournament.
Actor Oliver Hudson can currently be seen on ABC’s drama series “Nashville” as record executive Jeff Fordham.
Hudson also starred in seven season of the CBS comedy “Rules of Engagement” alongside David Spade and fellow
tournament participant Patrick Warburton. This will be Hudson’s seventh time playing in the tournament.
Richard Karn is perhaps best known for his role as Al Borland on the hit sitcom “Home Improvement.” Most recently,
Karn held a guest role on ABC’s “Last Man Standing,” where he was united with his “Home Improvement” co-star Tim
Allen. This will be Karn’s second time participating in the tournament.
Kira Kazantsev, an accomplished singer, made history by becoming the third consecutive Miss New York to be
crowned Miss America. Kazantsev is a graduate of Hofstra University, where she held a triple major, studying political
science, global studies and geography. She is also trilingual, speaking English, Russian and Spanish. This will be
Kazantsev’s first time participating in the tournament.
Quarterback Jim McMahon led the Chicago Bears to a championship in 1985’s Super Bowl XX against the New
England Patriots. That same year, McMahon was part of the infamous “Super Bowl Shuffle,” which sold more than a
half-million copies and made the Chicago Bears the only American professional sports team with a hit single.
McMahon’s second Super Bowl title came 11 years later with the Green Bay Packers. This will be McMahon’s second
time participating in the tournament.
Actor and TV personality John O’Hurley is well-known for the role of J. Peterman on the NBC sitcom “Seinfeld” and
was host of the game show “Family Feud” from 2006 to 2010. O’Hurley has been the host of Purina's annual National
Dog Show every Thanksgiving since 2002, and he was also a contestant on the first season of the hit show “Dancing
with the Stars.” This will be O’Hurley’s eighth time participating in the tournament.
Terry O’Quinn is well-known for his role as John Locke on the TV series LOST, for which he won an Emmy in 2007.
He also made numerous appearances in CBS’s Hawaii Five-0 and has had minor supporting roles in many films and
TV series including Young Guns, The West Wing and JAG. This will be O’Quinn’s sixth time playing in the
tournament.
Actor Kevin Rahm has had roles on many popular television series including “Desperate Housewives”, “Judging Amy”
and, most recently, “Mad Men”. He has also appeared on “CSI: Miami”, “Grey’s Anatomy”, “Friends”, “Scrubs” and
“The Mentalist”. This will be Rahm’s first time playing in the tournament.
Actor and comedian Rob Riggle is best known for his work as a correspondent on Comedy Central's “The Daily
Show” from 2006 to 2008, as a cast member on “Saturday Night Live” from 2004–2005 and for his comedic roles in
films such as “The Hangover,” “The Other Guys,” “21 Jump Street” and “Step Brothers.” Riggle is also a retired
United States Marine Corps Reserve officer and served in Liberia, Kosovo and Afghanistan. This will be Riggle’s
second time participating in the tournament.
Musician Ed Roland is best known as the frontman for the hit band Collective Soul, which boasts hits such as “The
World I Know” and “Shine”. Roland continues to play with the band, but launched a solo career with his new band, Ed
Roland and the Sweet Tea Project, in 2013. This will be Roland’s first time playing in the tournament.
Joe Don Rooney is the lead guitarist and harmony singer in the multi-platinum-selling country-pop group Rascal
Flatts. This will be Rooney’s seventh time playing in the tournament.
Actor and comedian Gary Valentine has appeared in films such as “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” and “I Now Pronounce You
Chuck and Larry” and, most recently, “Here Comes The Boom.” Valentine had a recurring role on the CBS comedy
“The King of Queens.” This is Valentine’s seventh time participating in the tournament.
Tim Wakefield began his pitching career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, but is most remembered for his 17-year tenure
with the Boston Red Sox, starting in 1995 and ending with his retirement in 2012 as the longest-serving player on the
team. Wakefield is second in all-time wins at Fenway Park with 97, behind Roger Clemens' 100, and is first all-time in
innings pitched by a Red Sox pitcher. This will be his first time playing in the tournament.
Clay Walker is a country music artist with chart-topping hits such as “What’s It To You” and “Live Until I Die”. This will
be Walker’s first time playing in the tournament.
Patrick Warburton is perhaps best known for his role as David Puddy on the hit series “Seinfeld.” For seven years,
Warburton starred in the CBS series “Rules of Engagement” alongside Oliver Hudson and David Spade. Warburton
has lent his voice to several animated films and TV series including “The Emperor’s New Groove,” “Family Guy” and
“Kim Possible.” This is Warburton’s sixth time playing in the tournament.
About the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation
The 2015 BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation will take place May 14-17 at Thornblade Club,
The Reserve at Lake Keowee and Green Valley Country Club.
The BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation is the only tournament on the Web.com Tour where
amateurs and celebrities are grouped with Web.com Tour professionals in a four-day better-ball competition over
three courses. Amateurs, celebrities and pros rotate between three courses on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with
the 10 lowest scoring pro-amateur teams, six lowest scoring pro-celebrity teams and the lowest 65 pros (and ties)
advancing to play Sunday’s final round at Thornblade Club.
Celebrities play once at each course on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The Professional winner of the overall 72hole event will take home $121,500 from the total purse of $675,000.
South Carolina Charities, Inc. (SCCI), the non-profit foundation of the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX
Corporation, was created in order to showcase the beauty of Upstate South Carolina and the hospitality of its citizens
to the world; to create an event that brings the Upstate a fun and entertaining week centered around professional
athletes and world-renowned celebrities; and raise money and awareness for South Carolina charities.
The 2014 BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation generated $836,883 in charitable donations.
Since 2001, the tournament has distributed more than $10.8 million to more than 150 charities.
The charities selected to benefit from the 2015 tournament include: BMW Car Club of America Foundation – Street
Survival, Child Evangelism Fellowship of Greenville, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Greenville Family Partnership,
Greenville Tech Foundation, Habitat for Humanity of Greenville County, Harvest Hope Food Bank, Mobile Meals of
Spartanburg, National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA), New Foundations Home for Children, Palmetto Animal Assisted Life Services (PAALS), Project HOPE Foundation, Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Carolinas, Set Free Alliance, Shriners Hospital for Children-Greenville, SYNNEX Share the Magic, The First Tee of
Greenville, The Reserve at Lake Keowee Charitable Foundation, Urban League of the Upstate and Vested Partners.
In 2013, Clemson University’s International Institute of Tourism Research and Development conducted a study of the
economic impacts of expenditures related to tournament operations and found that the 2013 tournament generated
total direct spending of $4.712 million, supported 139 jobs, generated net local government revenues of $541,048
and net state government revenues of $868,479, and yielded $6.744 million in total output/impact.
The BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation is broadcast around the world for four days. A total of
3.4 million people tuned in to Golf Channel’s coverage of the 2014 tournament, up 16% from 2013.
Since 2001, more than 121 celebrities have participated in the tournament including Kurt Russell, Jim McMahon, Alice Cooper, Catherine Bell, Kevin Costner and Dennis Quaid.
As the most unique tournament on the Web.com Tour, the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation
has many different playing options and sponsorship opportunities to offer. To review these opportunities, visit the
Sponsorship and Playing Opportunities page of bmwcharitygolf.com.
For more information about the BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by SYNNEX Corporation, call (864) 297-1660, visit
the tournament’s website at bmwcharitygolf.com or follow the tournament at www.facebook.com/BMWCharityProAm
and @BMWCharityProAm.
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THE WEB.COM TOUR
Founded (1990), owned and operated by the PGA TOUR, the Web.Com Tour continues to identify
those players who are ready to compete and win on golf's biggest stage. In 2013, the Web.com
Tour became The Path to the PGA TOUR with all 50 available PGA TOUR cards coming through the Web.com Tour
and the season culminating at the fourevent Web.com Tour Finals. Web.com became the Tour’s umbrella sponsor on
June 27, 2012. A 10-year agreement (through 2021) is in place. Three out of four PGA TOUR members are Web.com
Tour alumni. Tour alumni have won 405 PGA TOUR titles, including 19 majors and five PLAYERS Championships.
The PGA TOUR, through the efforts of its tours and their tournaments, sponsors, players and volunteers, has generated $2.14 billion in charitable giving through 2014. To learn more about the PGA TOUR and Web.com Tour and to
follow the season-long quest for a PGA TOUR card, visit PGATOUR.COM, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
ABOUT WEB.COM
Web.com Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:WWWW) provides a full range of Internet services to small businesses to help them
compete and succeed online. Web.com is owner of several global domain registrars and further meets the needs of
small businesses anywhere along their lifecycle with affordable, subscription-based solutions including website design and management, search engine optimization, online marketing campaigns, local sales leads, social media, mobile products, eCommerce solutions and call center services. To get more information, visit www.web.com; follow
Web.com on Twitter @webdotcom or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/web.com. For additional online marketing
resources and small business networking, please visit Web.com's Small Business Summit.
THORNBLADE CLUB
Located in the picturesque valleys and foothills on the Eastside of Greenville, S.C., Thornblade Club
is a private, full-service, family-oriented golf and country club dedicated to providing members with
superior service, recreational amenities and a social community. Currently celebrating its 25th anniversary, the club
boasts a master planned 18-hole golf course, designed by Tom Fazio, and is the centerpiece for a magnificent residential community. The course was renovated and lengthened in the summer of 2010, with new greens, a new drainage system, laser-leveled tees, additional tees, renovated cart paths and beautiful rock walls. To learn more, visit
ThornbladeClub.com. This will be Thornblade Club’s eighth consecutive year as the four-day host course of the tournament.
GREEN VALLEY COUNTRY CLUB
Located in the Foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains on the north side of the economically diverse
and vibrant city of Greenville, S.C., Green Valley Country Club offers quiet elegance while providing
a resort-style experience for the entire family. With 18 spectacular holes of golf meandering through the natural terrain of the Reedy River, this George Cobb designed golf course went through a major renovation project led by Tom
Jackson in 2001. Recently Green Valley underwent a massive course improvement strategy with the help of worldrenowned course designer, Jan Bel Jan. To learn more, visit GreenValley.cc. This will be Green Valley Country
Club’s second year as a three-day host course of the tournament.
THE RESERVE AT LAKE KEOWEE
The Reserve at Lake Keowee is an award-winning residential community that spans 3,900
acres in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, with 30 miles of shoreline on Lake Keowee
and convenient access to nationally-recognized commercial and cultural centers that include Greenville, Clemson
and Asheville as well as Clemson and Furman Universities. A 200-slip Marina, Village Center, Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course and more than 1,400 acres of parks, preserves, trails and green spaces highlight more than $100
million in completed family amenities at The Reserve. To learn more, call 877-922-LAKE (5253), or visit
ReserveAtLakeKeowee.com. This will be The Reserve at Lake Keowee’s third year as a three-day host course of the
tournament.