By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – More than 300 golfers hit the links at Riverlands Golf and Country Club Thursday for the 12th annual St. John United Way Golf Tournament.

Industry and business leaders from across St. John the Baptist Parish spent the morning and afternoon teeing off for a good cause. All proceeds from the annual event help supplement the United Way’s annual budget.

“It gives our business leaders a chance to mingle and network while spending an afternoon outside,” said St. John United Way Executive Director Dean Torres. “The golf tournament is the biggest fundraiser of the year for us.”

Torres said last year’s event brought in more than $75,000, a record high for the 12-year-old event.

He said this year’s totals are again expected to be high but not quite as much as the 2009 final tally.

“Even with the down economy we still expect this year to rank near the top,” Torres said. “I think it is likely to be our second largest year.”

Torres said the tournament began in 1999 under the leadership of Marathon Petroleum Co., which operates a refinery in Garyville. Plant Manager Bubbie Anderson said the event is one of many ways Marathon embraces the St. John Parish community.

“It is a nice afternoon for a good cause,” Anderson said. “The United Way does more for the community than many people realize, and we are proud to be a part of what they do.”