AKRON, Ohio – On Thursday, June 19, 2025, the Kaulig Companies Championship, PGA TOUR Champions and Northern Ohio Golf Charities Foundation will recognize multi-Platinum, three-time GRAMMY Award-winning artist Darius Rucker as the 2025 recipient of the Ambassador of Golf Award. The award – which benefits the Northern Ohio Golf Charities Foundation – honors a person who has fostered the ideals of the game on an international level and whose concerns for others extends beyond the golf course.
Throughout his decorated career, Rucker has been passionate about supporting the game of golf and has made significant contributions to the sport. He helped establish the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate, a prestigious, three-day tournament for NCAA Division I women’s collegiate golf contested annually at the Long Cove Club on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Alongside his bandmates from Hootie & the Blowfish, he hosts the Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate, an NCAA Division I men’s collegiate golf tournament that has operated since 2005. Rucker also hosts the annual Darius & Friends concert and golf event to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the annual Monday After the Masters event benefiting the Hootie & the Blowfish Foundation which supports junior golf programs throughout the band’s home state of South Carolina. In 2024, Rucker had the honor of hosting the World Golf Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club in Pinehurst, North Carolina. Additionally, he holds the distinction of being the PGA TOUR’s first official brand ambassador. His dedication to golf and philanthropy has left a lasting impact on the sport and its community.
“On behalf of the PGA TOUR, we are thrilled with the opportunity to honor Darius Rucker as the Ambassador of Golf at the 2025 Kaulig Companies Championship,” said PGA TOUR Champions President Miller Brady. “A music industry icon who simply loves golf, Darius has used that passion to promote our game, impact lives and inspire others to do the same for more than 30 years.”
The Ambassador of Golf event will be held on Thursday, June 19, 2025, in Akron, Ohio. Guests will enjoy dinner, entertainment, and an inside-the-ropes conversation with Darius Rucker. Information on VIP experiences, sponsorships, and individual tickets can be found here. Proceeds from the event benefit organizations through the Northern Ohio Golf Charities Foundation. For more information, contact Danielle Thompson at danielle@nogcf.org or 330-245-2302.
Rucker first achieved multi-Platinum status in the music industry as lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the GRAMMY Award-winning band Hootie & the Blowfish, who have sold more than 25 million albums worldwide including their Double Diamond-certified (22x Platinum) debut Cracked Rear View, which remains among the top 10 best-selling studio albums of all time. Since releasing his first Country album in 2008, Rucker has earned a whole new legion of fans with four No. 1 albums on the Billboard Country chart, including RIAA Platinum-certified Learn to Live and True Believers, plus 10 No. 1 singles at Country radio and 11 Gold, Platinum or multi-Platinum certified hits. Rucker was inducted as a Grand Ole Opry member in 2012 and in 2014 he won his third career GRAMMY Award for Best Solo Country Performance with his Diamond-certified (11x Platinum) version of “Wagon Wheel,” one of the top five best-selling Country songs of all time. His latest album Carolyn’s Boy (featuring recent single “Never Been Over” with Jennifer Nettles) is available everywhere now as is his first book, a memoir titled “Life’s Too Short” released via Dey Street Books in 2024.
As a lifelong philanthropist, Rucker co-chaired the capital campaign that generated $150 million to help build the new MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital in his hometown of Charleston, South Carolina and has raised over $4.3 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. He has advocated for over 200 charitable causes supporting youths in South Carolina through the Hootie & the Blowfish Foundation and serves as a National Chair for the National Museum of African American Music in Nashville, Tennessee. Rucker is also an avid sports fan, with his Darius Rucker Collection by Fanatics line of NFL, MLB, NHL and NCAA apparel available at Fanatics.com, and he is part of the Music City Baseball investment group working to bring an MLB team to Tennessee in addition to serving as a partner at the MGC Sports & Entertainment agency. For more information, visit www.dariusrucker.com and follow on social media @DariusRucker.
Rucker joins an illustrious list of Ambassador of Golf Award winners: 1981 Chi Chi Rodriguez; 1982 Bing Crosby; 1983 Byron Nelson; 1984 Gene Sarazen; 1985 President Gerald Ford; 1986 Bob Hope; 1987 Dinah Shore; 1988 Joe Dey; 1989 Frank Chirkinian; 1990 Barbara Nicklaus; 1991 Arnold Palmer; 1992 Nancy Lopez; 1993 Roberto De Vicenzo; 1994 President George H.W. Bush; 1995 Michael Bonnallack; 1996 Deane Beman; 1997 Peter Thomson; 1998 Ken Venturi; 1999 Gary Player; 2000 Ben Hogan and Sam Snead; 2001 Del de Windt; 2002 Joanne Carner; 2003 Robert Dedman, Sr. and Jack Vickers; 2004 Lee Trevino; 2005 Pete Dye; 2006 Ken Schofield; 2007 Tony Jacklin; 2008 Charlie Sifford; 2009 Hale Irwin; 2010 Tom Watson; 2011 Nick Price; 2012 Nick Faldo; 2013 Jack Nicklaus; 2014 Johnny Miller; 2015 Judy Rankin; 2016 Davis Love III; 2017 Peter Jacobsen; 2018 Jim Nantz; 2019 Fred Couples; 2021 President George W. Bush, 2022 Condoleezza Rice, 2023 Stephen Curry and 2024 Peyton Manning.
Ernie Els is the defending champion of the Kaulig Companies Championship and this year’s tournament will be played June 19-22, 2025. For more information on the 2025 Kaulig Companies Championship, please visit KauligChampionship.com.
ABOUT THE KAULIG COMPANIES CHAMPIONSHIP
The Kaulig Companies Championship is one of five major championships contested annually on PGA TOUR Champions for eligible professionals age 50 and over. The 2025 tournament will be held the week of June 19-22 and will continue professional golf’s seven decade tradition at Firestone Country Club. A field of 78 professionals will compete for one of the most prestigious Champions Tour titles and an exemption into the following year’s PLAYERS Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
ABOUT PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
PGA TOUR Champions is a membership organization of professional golfers age 50 and older, including 35 members of the World Golf Hall of Fame. The Tour’s mission is to provide financial opportunities for its players, entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back and generate significant charitable and economic impact in tournament communities. Follow PGA TOUR Champions online at PGATOUR.com, on Facebook, on Twitter (@ChampionsTour), on Instagram (@pgatourchampions) and on TikTok (pgatourchampions).
All events are televised in the United States on Golf Channel, the exclusive cable-television partner of PGA TOUR Champions. Internationally, PGA TOUR Champions coverage is available in more than 170 countries and territories via 22 media partners.
ABOUT KAULIG COMPANIES
Kaulig Companies Limited is the single-member family office (SFO) for Matt Kaulig and his immediate family. The family office operates across a diverse spectrum of businesses, including sports and entertainment, marketing and event management, private equity, real estate, investment advisory services and philanthropy, with a focus on children and families. To learn more visit www.kauligcompanies.com.
ABOUT NORTHERN OHIO GOLF CHARITIES FOUNDATION
Northern Ohio Golf Charities & Foundation (NOGCF) is an organization dedicated to uplifting the community by cultivating a strong, reliable volunteer force that serves as an engine to empower northeast Ohio non-profit organizations serving the needs of the community. The NOGCF provides volunteer leadership and expertise to support tournament operations at Firestone Golf Club, continuing the legacy of professional golf in the region. The organization also honors leaders and philanthropists who contribute to the game of golf with the Ambassador of Golf award and supports the non-profit community through funding impactful opportunities. To learn more visit www.nogcf.org.
