For the near-capacity crowd and eager artists who gathered at First Tee of Augusta on Tuesday, the annual Drive for Show, Rock Fore! Dough concert has become more than merely a reason to venture out during Masters Week.

Augusta native Josh Kelley performs at the Drive for Show, Rock Fore! Dough concert at the First Tee of Augusta. Tuesday's event benefited First Tee golf and education programs. (Mike Adams/Staff)

It's become a tradition.

The fourth incarnation of the concert, which benefits First Tee of Augusta's golf and education programs, drew old favorites, native sons and an emerging star. It also drew what promoters predicted would be the largest Rock Fore! Dough audience yet.

"We had over 6,000 sold before we even came in today," said Emily Carder, of Gluestick Music, the Augusta promotion company responsible for the event. "And then the sales today have been very heavy."

The first two Rock Fore! Dough shows featured South Carolina act Hootie & the Blowfish as the headliner. Last year the band did not appear.

Hootie & the Blowfish returned this year, headlining a bill that also featured current radio sensation Colbie Caillat, Augusta native Josh Kelley and local artist John Krueger.

Darius Rucker, the lead singer for Hootie & the Blowfish, said the band chose to return after a year away because it discovered that making Augusta part of its traditions was appealing for several reasons.

"We do a show in Charleston (S.C.) every year, and it always sells out," he said. "People show up early, tailgate, everything. So we have to go back, you know. This is the same thing. And it's also great to be in Augusta during the Masters, to be part of that great tradition."

Kelley said he tries to make musical stops in Augusta a regular part of his itinerary. Reconnecting with the town where he has his traditions, musical and otherwise, is important to him creatively and personally, he said.

"It wasn't always that way," he said with a laugh. "It's something I had to learn. But this is important. These are the people I've shared my life with. I mean, I've spent more time with some of these people than I've spent with my own wife, and I live with her."

Augusta Mayor Deke Copen-haver is acutely aware of the importance of local tradition, particularly during Masters Week. He also is aware of how vital a component music can be.

"I'm a music lover myself," he said. "I understand the power of music. I know what it can do. So I do want to see this become, and continue as, a tradition. I want to see it grow every year."

Reach Steven Uhles at (706) 823-3626 or steven.uhles@augustachronicle.com.