The Jimmy V Celebrity Golf Classic is proud to announce “American Idol” winner Scotty McCreery’s participation in this year’s annual celebrity golf weekend benefitting The V Foundation for Cancer Research. The Jimmy V Celebrity Golf Classic fundraising weekend will begin on Thursday, August 23 with the ESPN Pre-V at Pinehurst and conclude with the Golf Classic on Sunday, August 26 at Lonnie Poole Golf Course.

Net proceeds from this year’s Jimmy V Celebrity Golf Classic weekend will benefit the Golf Classic and The V Foundation’s goal to fund a one million dollar grant for research and diagnostics of the cancers affecting 9/11 First Responders who worked at Ground Zero.

McCreery won Season 10 of FOX’s “American Idol” in 2011 and has since released three country hits from his debut album “Clear as Day.” He will join several other celebrities from the world of sports and entertainment at the Golf Classic on August 26. A few other fan favorites include NBA Hall-of-Famer and TNT analyst Charles Barkley, NC State University’s Head Men’s Basketball Coach Mark Gottfried, ’NSYNC star Joey Fatone, the 2005 World Series MVP Jermaine Dye, ABC’s “The Bachelor” host Chris Harrison as well as a number of players from the Carolina Hurricanes and several ESPN hosts.

“We are very excited to have Scotty join us for this year’s Golf Classic,” said Frank McCann, Executive Director of The Jimmy V Celebrity Golf Classic. “It has been amazing to see the community, celebrities and volunteers rally in support of the First Responders that worked tirelessly on the pile who are now battling cancer.”

The Jimmy V Celebrity Golf Classic will start their fundraising weekend on Thursday, August 23 and Friday, August 24 with the 2012 ESPN Pre-V at Pinehurst on Pinehurst No. 4. On Friday, the festivities continue with a Reverse Raffle for a Leith BMW 128i and Pairings Party at the Raleigh Convention Center. The V Gala for Cancer Research on Saturday, August 25, will include entertainment from the opera singing New York Police Officer Daniel Rodriguez and a Jersey Boys tribute show. The weekend schedule concludes with the 19^th Annual Jimmy V Celebrity Golf Classic at Lonnie Poole Golf Course on NC State’s Centennial Campus on Sunday, August 26. Tickets for the weekend events are now available.

To find out more about the Jimmy V Celebrity Golf Classic and how you can get involved, log onto www.golfclassic.org or call 919-319-0441.