Ninety juniors from The First Tee Chapters to participate in selection process at Kansas State
ST. AUGUSTINE, FLA. – The First Tee is hosting a Participant Selection Process at Kansas State University and Colbert Hills Golf Course, July 22-26, 2006 to choose 40 juniors to represent The First Tee in the third-annual Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach. Ninety participants from The First Tee Chapters around the world will compete for a place in the Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach, an official Champions Tour tournament taking place Labor Day weekend. Click here to view field.
The First Tee has developed a selection process that will recognize participants who have integrated the life skills and values that The First Tee teaches into all aspects of their lives. Participants will be evaluated 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 will judge 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 past two years, the participants selected to play in the Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach demonstrated character, leadership and a commitment to the game and its values," said Joe Louis Barrow, Jr., The First Tee executive director. "Through the collective efforts of Wal-Mart, the Champions Tour and the Monterey Peninsula Foundation, The First Tee is able to create tremendous opportunities for participants worldwide."
"As wonderful as the tournament at Pebble Beach is, the Participant Selection Process may be my favorite part of the Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach," said Champions Tour President Rick George. "The young people display so much pride, emotion and maturity. You see them grow up right in front of your eyes. It’s a very touching and moving experience. The event, and that includes the qualifying tournaments and the Participant Selection Process, in addition to the tournament at Pebble Beach, is gaining great momentum. We thank Wal-Mart for their profound desire to make the Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach a huge success, as well as our other partners, The First Tee and the Monterey Peninsula Foundation."
The Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach is a unique event, offering 78 junior golfers the
unprecedented opportunity to compete alongside 78 Champions Tour members and 156 amateurs at Pebble Beach. The tournament will take place on Pebble Beach Golf Links and Del Monte Golf Course, and will be televised nationally on The Golf Channel and NBC.
"To see the looks on the faces of the juniors when they walked in to player registration at Pebble Beach was something I will never forget," said Ollie Nutt, president and CEO of the Monterey Peninsula Foundation. "The opportunity to play alongside the legends of the game on one of the most storied venues in the world is something that no other sport can offer our youth."
"Wal-Mart is extremely proud to be associated with The First Tee. Our mission and the mission of The First Tee are very tightly aligned," said Tom Schoewe, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Wal-Mart. "Over the past couple of years, thousands of our associates have volunteered locally, at regional qualifiers, at the Participant Selection Process and the event at Pebble Beach."
Thirty juniors have already qualified for the Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach through three regional open qualifiers, which took place in June and July. The Monterey Peninsula Foundation will distribute eight exemptions for the remaining spots. Visit www.thefirsttee.org or www.thefirstteeopen.com for more information.
About Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.:
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. operates Wal-Mart discount stores, supercenters, Neighborhood Markets and SAM’S CLUB locations in the United States. The company has operations in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Germany, Guatemala, Honduras, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, South Korea and the United Kingdom. The company’s securities are listed on the New York Stock Exchange and NYSE Arca, formerly the Pacific Stock Exchange, under the symbol WMT. More information about Wal-Mart can be found by visiting www.walmartfacts.com. Online merchandise sales are available at www.walmart.com.
About the Champions Tour:
The Champions Tour is a tax-exempt membership organization of professional golfers age 50 and older. Conceived in 1980 as the Senior PGA Tour, it started with just four events and purses totaling $475,000. The Champions Tour now has 29 official Charles Schwab Cup events offering a minimum of $52.55 million in prize money in 2006 and its highest average purse ever of $1.82 million. The Champions Tour’s primary purpose is to provide significant competitive and earnings opportunities for players age 50 and older; to protect the integrity of the game; and to help grow the reach of the game in the U.S. and around the world. In addition to providing competitive opportunities for its membership, Champions Tour events also generate significant sums of money for charity. On October 30th, 2005 the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour and their tournaments announced they had reached the $1 billion milestone in charitable donations dating back to the first recorded donation in 1938. The commissioner of the PGA TOUR is Tim Finchem. Rick George is president of the Champions Tour. TOUR headquarters is in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Our web site address is PGATOUR.com.
About the Monterey Peninsula Foundation:
More than sixty years ago, Bing Crosby invited a group of friends to get together for some golf, a clambake and, most importantly, to raise money for local charities. Since that time, the tournament now known as the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, has become one of the most popular and internationally recognized stops on the PGA TOUR and the spirit of giving back has continued through the Monterey Peninsula Foundation.
The Monterey Peninsula Foundation focuses on improving the quality of life in Monterey County and surrounding areas through organizations which enhance the educational, cultural, health, civic and social welfare of the residents. Since the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am came to the Monterey Peninsula in 1947, over $60 million has been donated to nonprofit organizations.
(www.montereypeninsulafoundation.org; www.attpbgolf.com; www.thefirstteeopen.com)
About The First Tee:
The First Tee (www.thefirsttee.org) is an initiative of the World Golf Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in St. Augustine, FL at World Golf Village, home of the World Golf Hall of Fame. Its mission is to impact the lives of young people by providing learning facilities and educational programs that promote character development and life-enhancing values through the game of golf. Since its inception in 1997, The First Tee has opened over 250 golf-learning facilities in 47 states and five international locations, and has introduced the game of golf and its values to over 675,000 participants. The First Tee National School Program (www.thefirstteensp.org) has reached more than 400,000 students in over 900 elementary schools across the country.
Contact:
Steve Gerrish, The First Tee
(904) 940-4314
Bob McAdam, Wal-Mart
(479) 273-4314
