Dustin Johnson was named the first recipient of Frank Scheid Award, presented on Thursday, Nov. 13 at the first Myrtle Beach Golf Conference. The award will be given annually to a person or organization that makes a major contribution or impact to golf in the Myrtle Beach area.

Golf professionals, course owners and managers, and students of the game attended the two-day conference that ends today, Nov. 14, with round table discussions and the presentation of research papers. Experts addressed the troubled economy, its adverse effects on the industry and how to increase revenue.

Johnson, a first-team All American at Coastal Carolina University in 2006 and 2007, won his first PGA tour event in October 2008. He was a member of the winning 2007 U.S Walker Cup and the U.S. Palmer Cup teams. Johnson was also a three-time Big South Conference Player of the Year and the all-time scoring leader at Coastal Carolina University. He holds the lowest season scoring average in school history (70.40). He also won the 2007 Northeast Amateur and the 2007 Monroe Invitational.

Scheid was a mathematics professor at Boston University who was a charter member on the USGA Handicap Research Team and an integral part of the group that developed the USGA Slope system. Often called "Professor Golf," Scheid has written numerous articles for Golf Digest and was a presenter at the prestigious St. Andrews (Scotland) Scientific Congress of Golf from 1990 to 2002.

In addition, Scheid has written four books on golf: "You Can't Get Lost on a Golf Course," "Golfers Come in All Shapes and Sizes," "Student of the Game" and "Tiger Numbers and Annika Numbers."

For more information, visit www.MyrtleBeachGolfConference.com or e-mail golfconference@gmail.com.