Myrtle Beach PGA Patriots Donate $222,160 To Folds Of Honor

Group Comprised Largely of PGA Professionals Has Raised Over $750,00 In Eight Years

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Myrtle Beach’s PGA Patriots, a collection of 20 golf industry professionals, presented Folds of Honor with a check for $222,160 on Veterans Day, a new record for the group. The annual fundraising campaign culminated with Patriot Golf Day, a 100-hole golf marathon held September 5 on Wild Wing’s Avocet Course as part of a three-day weekend of events.

Myrtle Beach’s PGA Patriots were founded in 2014 by Jimmy Biggs, the general manager of Pine Lakes Country Club, and a group comprised overwhelmingly of area PGA professionals. The team has increased its fundraising total in each of its first eight years. This year’s donation represented a $70,000 increase over 2020.

“Everyone on our Myrtle Beach Patriots team worked extremely hard for a cause we all believe in – helping meet the educational needs of the children of America’s fallen or disabled military service members,” Biggs said. “Given the challenges we’ve faced over the last 18 months, to raise $222,160 for Folds of Honor is a testament to the generosity of the Myrtle Beach community, and we owe everyone who contributed a ‘Thank You.’ Proud as we are of this year’s effort, we will begin immediately working to make an even bigger impact in 2022.”

At the heart of the PGA Patriots’ success is hard work as the majority of the group’s fundraising comes from individual donations. In total, Myrtle Beach’s PGA Patriots have donated $779,000 to Folds of Honor in eight years.

Since its inception, Folds of Honor has awarded over 29,000 scholarships worth nearly $145 million across all 50 states to the children of fallen or disabled military service members. Among the scholars served, 41 percent are minorities. While the organization’s fundraising totals are impressive, nearly 1,500 eligible, qualified applicants went unfunded in 2020, highlighting the importance of the work done by Myrtle Beach’s PGA Patriots.

Folds of Honor dedicates 86 cents of every dollar raised to providing scholarships. The non-profit organization awards scholarships in $5,000 increments, so the money raised in 2021 will provide more than 37 children with scholarship money.

Jimmy Biggs was the Myrtle Beach PGA Patriots most prolific fundraiser, raising $34,551, and he was followed closely by Matt Biddington, head golf professional at the Legends resort, who generated $29,184.

Members of the 2021 Myrtle Beach PGA Patriots are: Biggs (Pine Lakes), Zack Atkinson (Burning Ridge), Mike Benson (Crow Creek), Nancy Benson (Crow Creek), Biddington (Legends Resort), Mike Binder (Ahead USA), Corey Bowers (Long Bay), Mike Buccerone (East Coast Golf Management), Casey Cook (Founders Group International), Jason Corneau (Prestwick), Brad Crumling (World Tour), Matt Daly (Founders Group International), Jeff Davis (Crow Creek), Joseph Dipre (Grande Dunes), Jarrin Josue (Golf Trek), Brian Lewis (Pawleys Plantation), Dustin Powers (Myrtlewood), Tyler Robinette (Carolina National), Justin Spann (Cape Fear National), Brian Stefan (iNet Golf).

For more information on the Myrtle Beach PGA Patriots, visit its Folds of Honor page.