Impressive field will tee off Monday at Elmcrest

CEDAR RAPIDS - A Masters champion, a British Open champion, a PGA champion and two players deemed the best in the NCAA.

“This is impressive,” Elmcrest Country Club pro Larry Gladson said.

It is that and more.

The inaugural Zach Johnson Foundation Classic tees off today at 10:30 a.m. at Elmcrest and features Johnson (the Masters champ), Stewart Cink (British Open), Davis Love III (PGA), as well as Rickie Fowler and Kyle Stanley, winners of the Ben Hogan Award as the NCAA's top player.

Throw in Jonathan Byrd, a five-time winner on the PGA Tour, the LPGA's Taylor Leon and the Nationwide Tour's Shawn Jasper, and it's indeed an impressive start to what Johnson hopes will be an annual fundraiser for his foundation.

Proceeds go to the “Kids on Course” pilot program designed by the Zach Johnson Foundation in concert with the United Way of East Central Iowa and the Cedar Rapids Community School District. More than $500,000 is expected to be raised, double what Johnson had hoped for when he announced the event a year ago.

The event has drawn other celebrities from a variety of fields, including former NFL star Kurt Warner, who, like Johnson is a graduate of Cedar Rapids Regis.

Others include Damon Green, Johnson's caddie and swing coach, former Iowa men's basketball coach Tom Davis and former Hawkeyes Tim Dwight and Marv Cook (football), Ryan Bowen (basketball) and Mike Boddicker (baseball), who went on to win 134 games in the major leagues.

Former Iowa athletics director Bump Elliott will participate.

Northern Iowa football coach Mark Farley will represent his alma mater, along with Warner.

There will be no parking at Elmcrest today, but free parking and shuttle buses are provided for ticket holders at Washington High School, Kennedy High School and Mount Mercy University. The shuttles will operate from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

KCRG 9.2 will telecast the golf tournament starting at 10 a.m. and TheGazette.com will have updates and photos throughout the event. KCRG.com also is offering a live stream.

Age: 35

Hometown: Cedar Rapids

College: Drake

PGA Tour wins: 7

World Golf Ranking: 32nd

Career earnings: $21,375,615

ZACH JOHNSON TIMELINE

1976: Born Feb. 24 in Iowa City

1994: Graduated from Regis High School in Cedar Rapids, helping Royals to 1992 state golf title as a sophomore

1998: Graduated from Drake and turned pro, playing on the Prairie Golf Tour, Buy.com Tour (now Nationwide) and Hooters Tour

2001: Won Greater Cedar Rapids Open at Hunters Ridge, the Iowa Open and three Hooters Tour events

2003: Nationwide Player of the Year, earning PGA Tour card

2004: Won BellSouth Classic for first PGA Tour win

2006: Earned spot on United States Ryder Cup team

2007: Won Masters by two strokes over Tiger Woods, Retief Goose and Rory Sabbatini, also won the AT&T Classic and finished the season ranked 15th in the world, earning a spot on the U.S. team in the Presidents Cup

---- 2008: Won Valero Texas Open, his first Tour win outside Georgia, ranking 48th in the world at season's end

---- 2009: Won two events, including a repeat at the Valero Texas Open, finished third in FedExCup points, finished 22nd in world ranking, made second Presidents Cup team and earned a career-high $4,714,813

---- 2010: Won Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, his seventh Tour win, and finished season ranked 16th in the World, earning $2,916,933, and made his second Ryder Cup appearance

---- 2011: Has made 15 cuts in 17 events with three top-10 finishes, earning $1,482,972