Dustin Johnson, Annika Sorenstam and Jim Furyk Commit to Play in Monday After the Masters

The most rollicking day on the Myrtle Beach golf calendar is again attracting some of the game’s greatest players.

PGA TOUR star and Myrtle Beach golf spokesman Dustin Johnson, LPGA legend Annika Sorenstam, former U.S. Open champion Jim Furyk and Ryder Cup hero Boo Weekly are the latest big names to the commit to the 18th annual event.

[UPDATE: Due to a back injury, Dustin Johnson was forced to withdraw from The Masters tournament, and we are awaiting word as to whether he will appear at the Monday After the Masters event as scheduled.]

The Monday After the Masters will be played April 9 at Barefoot Resort’s Dye Club, and the field for this year’s tournament is shaping to be one of the best.

Johnson, the first player since Tiger Woods to win in each of his first four years on the PGA TOUR, is the 12th-ranked player in the world. The 27-year-old Johnson has five TOUR victories to his credit and already has three top 10 finishes in 2012.

Sorenstam, scheduled to make her second appearance at the MAM, is arguably the greatest women’s golfer of all time. She recorded 93 professional victories, including 10 major championships.  

Furyk, who has been ranked as high as No. 2 in the world and won the 2010 FedEx Cup, is returning to the MAM for third consecutive year.

Weekly, a two-time winner of the Heritage, was a 2008 Ryder Cup hero and should be a favorite of Myrtle Beach golf fans.

Johnson, Sorenstam, Furyk and Weekly join 2012 Ryder Cup Captain Davis Love III to headline the field but they are hardly alone.

In addition to ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike in the Morning Show broadcasting from the event, ESPN personalities Stuart Scott and Doug Gottleib will be participating, along with former football stars Jim McMahon, Sterling Sharpe and George Rogers, the 1980 Heisman Trophy winner.

This will mark the 10th consecutive year the event is played at the Dye Course, one of the premier Myrtle Beach golf courses, and festivities will begin with the Celebrity Long Drive contest at 10 a.m. The tournament will tee off at 11 a.m.

For more information, including a complete list athletes and celebrities scheduled to participate, go to www.hootiegolf.com.

Proceeds from Monday After The Masters benefit the Hootie & the Blowfish Foundation, which supports the educational needs of children in South Carolina and the South Carolina Junior Golf Foundation.