Forty juniors from The First Tee facilities worldwide have been selected to play in the third-annual Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach. The forty juniors were among ninety participants who took part in The First Tee Participant Selection Process at Kansas State University and Colbert Hills Golf Course, July 22-26. The First Tee Participant Selection Process is exclusive to participants in the program and evaluates their playing ability and comprehension of the life skills and core lessons learned through the program.
The Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach is an official Champions Tour tournament that pairs 78 junior golfers with 78 professionals and 156 amateurs. The tournament will take place Sept. 1-3, 2006 on Pebble Beach Golf Links and Del Monte Golf Course, and will be televised nationally on The Golf Channel and NBC.
The following juniors (30 boys and 10 girls) have been selected to represent The First Tee during the Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach:
Boys:
John Allen The First Tee of Savannah, Ga.
Christopher Brant The First TeThe First Tee of The Gateway, Ill.
Brad Carrico The First Tee of Greater Sacramento, Calif.
Robert Carter The First Tee of Central Ark.
Benjamin Cohen The First Tee of Pittsburgh, Pa.
Andrew Deitrick The First Tee of Richmond & Chesterfield, Va.
Peter Gibbs The First Tee of Greater Sacramento, Calif.
Christian Heavens The First Tee of The Gateway, Ill.
Matthew Henson The First Tee of Greater Austin, Texas
Robert Hoadley The First Tee of the Sandhills, N.C.
John Jones The First Tee of Augusta, Ga.
Andrew Kayworth The First Tee of St. Johns County, Fla.
John Knight-Marconyak The First Tee of Hampton Roads, Va.
Chris Kovach The First Tee of The Gateway, Ill.
Scott Langley The First Tee of The Gateway, Ill.
Ryan Marks The First Tee of Benton Harbor, Mich.
David Milligan, Jr. The First Tee of Greater Sacramento, Calif.
Clay Myers, II The First Tee of Memphis, Tenn.
Sam Mysock The First Tee of Tulsa, Okla.
Amit Odaiyar The First Tee of Greater Sacramento, Calif.
Timothy Paiz The First Tee of San Antonio, Texas
Chase Patten The First Tee of Ventura County, Calif.
Austin Quinten The First Tee of Tulsa, Okla.
Bryce Revling The First Tee of The Gateway, Ill.
Kevin Sepulveda The First Tee of Central Coast, Calif.
Anuj Vyas The First Tee of Houston/F.M. Law Park, Texas
Sam Williams The First Tee of Greater Miami Valley, Ohio
John Willie The First Tee of Central Louisiana
Nick Wilson The First Tee of Central Arkansas
Andrew Zorniger The First Tee of Greater Miami Valley, Ohio
Girls:
Kelsey Conway The First Tee of Ventura County, Calif.
Katrina Delen-Briones The First Tee of San Francisco, Calif.
Sarah Fox The First Tee of Central Coast, Calif.
Kelly Fuchik The First Tee of Tulsa, Okla.
Natalie Koh The First Tee of Singapore
Marina Martinez The First Tee of Modesto, Calif.
Hillary McGrath-Packard The First Tee of Ventura County, Calif.
Joi Pentin The First Tee of Contra Costa, Calif.
Ashlee Rose The First Tee of Lexington, Ky.
Catie Tucker The First Tee of Chattanooga, Tenn.
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"It is inspiring to watch these young people display, character, maturity and leadership during The First Tee Participant Selection Process," says The First Tee executive director Joe Louis Barrow, Jr. "The 40 juniors moving on to Pebble Beach represent some of the brightest and most talented participants in The First Tee network. We are thrilled to join Wal-Mart, the Champions Tour and the Monterey Peninsula Foundation in providing these young people with an opportunity to play with some of the game's greatest golfers and learn from their vast experiences."
"The Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach will be a week these young people will carry with them for the rest of their lives," says Champions Tour President Rick George. "Each and every one of them is a winner well before they tee up their first ball at Pebble Beach. It's also a special week for Champions Tour players. They really enjoy meeting, playing and mentoring the kids. The Champions Tour is proud to be able to conduct such a unique event in partnership with Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., the Monterey Peninsula Foundation and Pebble Beach."
The First Tee Participant Selection Process evaluated participants both on and off the golf course through a series of interviews, essays and a 36-hole golf proficiency event. A committee of representatives from The First Tee, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., Kansas State University and special guests from the golf industry selected the participants based on the following criteria:
- Proficiency on the golf course
- Personal interviews
- Life Skills Certification level and curriculum knowledge
- Personal essay describing the impact of The First Tee on their lives
- Letter of recommendation from a Chapter representative
- Summary of community involvement, awards/recognitions and extracurricular activities
- Decorum
The First Tee participants will join 30 juniors who qualified for the Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach through three Regional Open Qualifiers that took place in June and July. These qualifying events were 18-hole, stroke-play competitions open to all junior golfers. The eight remaining junior spots will be determined by exemptions awarded by the Monterey Peninsula Foundation, the tournament host organization. Visit The First Tee at http://www.thefirsttee.org to view complete field.
"We've been proud to see the pride and excitement of the young golfers as they have participated in the Participant Selection Process to compete for a spot in the upcoming Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach," says Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. executive vice president and chief financial officer Tom Schoewe, "At Wal-Mart, we work to serve our communities anyway we can. We are honored to help provide such important resources to our youth and support the neighborhoods where we serve through The First Tee."
"We look forward to welcoming these extraordinary young people to Pebble Beach for the third-annual Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach," says Monterey Peninsula Foundation President and c.e.o. Ollie Nutt. "No other sport can offer this incredible opportunity to play side-by-side with the legends of the game."
