McCORMICK, S.C. --- There are no hotel chains nearby. The dining options are limited. Ditto for shopping.

Six years ago, Justin Jernigan had his reservations about an NGA/Hooters Tour event seemingly in the middle of nowhere.

"How is this going to work with no hotels? How is this going to work with no restaurants? Every year, it seems to work," said Jernigan, the tour's media relations director.

It works because the citizens of Savannah Lakes Village have embraced the tournament. And the golfers have reciprocated.

"It's definitely one of our major events," Jernigan said. "Players talk about it all year long."

Golfers will return to Monticello Golf Club for the sixth annual Savannah Lakes Resort Classic from April 24-27. Last year's runner-up, Emmett Turner, of Augusta, is one of the notable players in this year's field.

For the golfers, tournament week begins April 21, with a junior clinic and fishing tournament. The following day, there's a 10-team shootout. The day after Wednesday's pro-am, the 72-hole event commences.

The Savannah Lakes Resort Classic is one of the longest-running events on the NGA/Hooters Tour. Two years ago, it was one of the tour's majors because of its $200,000 purse. Last year, every tournament featured a $200,000 purse, but that didn't diminish the McCormick event's popularity.

One of the reasons for the tournament's success is the large number of volunteers. Tournament chairwoman Barb Shelley estimates that between 275-300 volunteers help out. Their duties include helping on the course as well as housing as much as half of the 168-player field.

"The best thing you can have is for a family to put you up in a house, because you get fed all week for free," Jernigan said. "You've got your own bed. There's no stress of having to wake up and go from the hotel and worry about having to pay a bill."

Shelley said she planned to put out a volunteer sign-in sheet March 10, a full seven weeks before the tournament. That turned out to be too late.

"We had to put it out way before then," she said, "because we kept getting phone calls and e-mails."

Jernigan said the amount of help is remarkable.

"We probably have more volunteers for this event than we do for the whole year combined," he said. "The thing is the people want to do it. They enjoy it."

People such as Shelley and Savannah Lakes Village marketing director Kirk Smith make Jernigan's life easier because of their year-round involvement. Jernigan said it allows him to focus on handling scoring and the media.

"They've been working on this event since it ended last year," he said. "They know what needs to happen. They tell me what to do."