VALDOSTA — For the 20th year, local golfers teed off in support of the United Way.

The 20th annual YMCA Golf Tournament to Benefit the United Way was held on Thursday at Kinderlou Forest Golf Club. A total of 17 teams and 68 golfers competed in the four-person select shot scramble tournament.

“It was a great day,” said Larry Tobey, the president and chief executive officer of the Valdosta-Lowndes County Family YMCA. “We’ve had a great turnout. Everybody in the community really supported us. Kinderlou had the course fantastic for us. We had good participation, and a beautiful day. We were blessed.”

“We had a great time. We’re thankful to all of the people who came out, and all of the sponsors that helped us out,” said Cheryl Marshall, the senior program director at the YMCA and the director of Thursday’s tournament.

The Dame, Walker, Hughes and Company, LLP team (Phil Mika, Scott Dyess, Jon Bowman and Robert Maynard) had the lowest gross score, a 56. The Wal-Mart team (Hal Harwell, Mark Sigmon, Stan Crance and Gordon McElrath) finished second in the gross standings, with a 58.

The lowest net score belonged to the Dupont Corporation team (Larry McKinney, Hap Hancock, Ira Wade and Byron Williams), who had a 51.9. The First State Bank and Trust team (Terry Bennett, Jim Powell, Blake Taylor and Dixon Taylor) was second with a 53.1. The Pepsi team (Gary Prince Jr., Tony Hicks, Kevin Ham and John Milan) finished third with a 54.8, while the Hickman Transport Company team (Matt Harrison, Eric Freeman, Mike Martin and Marshall Fields) was fourth with a 55.4.

After the tournament, four golfers had a chance to win $1 million if they could hole a shot from the 18th fairway. But none of the four people could knock the ball in the cup.

Travis Pate won the putting contest, and also had the longest drive on the ninth hole. Blake Taylor had the longest drive on the 11th hole. Jon Bowman sank the longest putt on the third hole, while Mike Martin made the longest putt on the 18th. David Fox was closest to the pin on the fifth hole, while Steve McDermond was closest on the 17th.

The proceeds from the tournament will go to the United Way.

“We’re very thankful to the Y. They’ve held this event for 20 years, in support of the campaign,” said Bobby Yarbrough, the executive director of the Greater Valdosta United Way.

“It is a (great organization),” Tobey said. “This is an opportunity for us to give back to them, and spread it across a broad range of services that are in need in this community.”

Tobey also expressed his gratitude towards all of the people, the companies and the sponsors that supported the tournament. He said that many of them have been involved in the tournament for a number of years. He also thanked his staff for all of the work they had done for the tournament.

The United Way is a worldwide network in 45 countries and territories, including almost 1,300 local organizations in the United States. According to its Web site, www.liveunited.org, the United Way “advances the common good, creating opportunities for a better life for all, by focusing on the three key building blocks of education, income and health. The United Way movement creates long lasting community change by addressing the underlying causes of problems that prevent progress in these areas.”

The YMCA is also a worldwide organization. The American YMCA’s Web site, www.ymca.net, says that “The nation’s 2,686 YMCAs respond to critical social needs by drawing on our collective strength as one of the largest not-for-profit community service organizations in the United States.” The YMCA serves thousands of communities across the country.