CARBONDALE — To some, it might seem like an unlikely combination, but for the past 20 years, coaches and officials from across the region have gathered for a golf tournament in July to raise money for scholarships which are given to graduating seniors.

The Scholarship Golf Outing is a combined effort of the Southern Illinois Egyptian Officials Association and the Southern Illinois Coaches Association. All proceeds are divided amongst the schools that enter teams in the scramble for scholarships. This year marked the 20th year for the event. It has raised more than $350,000, with just shy of 500 checks given to schools.

Event organizers say all the volunteers through the years as well as the corporate sponsors have helped make the Scholarship Golf Outing so successful.

This year’s outing will raise enough to award each school in the neighborhood of $850.