Laughlin Memorial Hospital has announced dates for the Eighth Annual Tennessee Long Drive Shoot-Out and Pro/Am Tournament and has also introduced the chairpersons for the event.

The unusual golfing event is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, June 6 and June 7, with veterans Tom Gregory and Larry Coughlin as co-chairs of the tournament. Greeneville Federal Bank is the major sponsor of the event.

"We are more than pleased to welcome these two gentlemen back for the 2008 event. With Tom and Larry in this leadership position, we feel sure this will be the same caliber of golfing event as we have presented over the past seven years," said Terry Bellamy, chairperson of Laughlin Health Care Foundation. "We certainly welcome the opportunity to partner with Bart Harsell and his long-drive friends from across the nation to bring this unusual and fun tournament to Greeneville."

The pro/am tournament will be played on Friday, June 6, with a shotgun start at 9:30 a.m. A RE/MAX World Qualifier will follow Friday's pro/am tournament, and the professional long-drive shoot-out will begin at 7:30 a.m on Saturday, June 7, with continuing rounds until a champion has been named.

The popular Junior Golf Clinic, conducted by Hartsell and other professional long drivers, will be held Saturday at 12:30 p.m. Long driver golfers will be working with junior golfers to encourage and give them pointers on their game.

All events will be held at Graysburg Hills Golf Course, one of the state's premier courses.

The top professional, long-drive golfers from across the nation will be participating in the pro/am tournament on Friday and will take center-stage for the shoot-out on Saturday.

Long-drive golf is a dramatic game, with competitors blasting the ball over 400 yards, and their club head speeds have been clocked up to 160 plus mph.

Hartsell, a Greeneville native, is partnering with Laughlin Memorial Hospital to bring this exciting event to Greeneville in a charity format. Hartsell came in third in the world in 1999 and is a top contender in professional long drive competition. Professional long drive golfers will be competing for a purse over $40,000, based on a field of 48 long-drive golfers.

The shoot-out events are free to the public, and everyone is given a cordial invitation to come watch these professionals "hit the long ball."

The pro/am entry fee is $700 per team or $175 per individual. This includes lunch, greens fees, carts, door prizes, complimentary beverages during play, and a casual awards dinner. Pro/am players will have the opportunity to share in excess of $3500 in certificates and prizes.

Revenue from this year's tournament will provide scholarships for worthy students who are preparing themselves for employment in healthcare fields identified as critical shortage areas. These shortages are occurring in nursing (LPN, RN, and BSN) and in radiology, radiation oncology, pharmacy, and physical therapy, to name a few.

For more information about the pro/am tournament, call the Laughlin Health Care Foundation at 423-787-5117.