Ninety juniors from The First Tee Chapters participate in selection process at Kansas State
ST. AUGUSTINE, FLA. – 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, IL
Brad
Carrico
The First Tee of Greater Sacramento, CA
Robert
Carter
The First Tee of Central Arkansas
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, CA
Christian
Heavens
The First Tee of The Gateway, IL
Matthew
Henson
The First Tee of Greater Austin, TX
Robert
Hoadley
The First Tee of the Sandhills, NC
John
Jones
The First Tee of Augusta, GA
Andrew
Kayworth
The First Tee of St. Johns County, FL
John
Knight-Marconyak
The First Tee of Hampton Roads, VA
Chris
Kovach
The First Tee of The Gateway, IL
Scott
Langley
The First Tee of The Gateway, IL
Ryan
Marks
The First Tee of Benton Harbor, MI
David
Milligan, Jr.
The First Tee of Greater Sacramento, CA
Clay
Myers, II
The First Tee of Memphis, TN
Sam
Mysock
The First Tee of Tulsa, OK
Amit
Odaiyar
The First Tee of Greater Sacramento, CA
Timothy
Paiz
The First Tee of San Antonio, TX
Chase
Patten
The First Tee of Ventura County, CA
Austin
Quinten
The First Tee of Tulsa, OK
Bryce
Revling
The First Tee of The Gateway, IL
Kevin
Sepulveda
The First Tee of Central Coast, CA
Anuj
Vyas
The First Tee of Houston/F.M. Law Park, TX
Sam
Williams
The First Tee of Greater Miami Valley, OH
John
Willie
The First Tee of Central Louisiana, LA
Nick
Wilson
The First Tee of Central Arkansas
Andrew
Zorniger
The First Tee of Greater Miami Valley, OH
Girls:
Kelsey
Conway
The First Tee of Ventura County, CA
Katrina
Delen-Briones
The First Tee of San Francisco, CA
Sarah
Fox
The First Tee of Central Coast, CA
Kelly
Fuchik
The First Tee of Tulsa, OK
Natalie
Koh
The First Tee of Singapore
Marina
Martinez
The First Tee of Modesto, CA
Hillary
McGrath-Packard
The First Tee of Ventura County, CA
Joi
Pentin
The First Tee of Contra Costa, CA
Ashlee
Rose
The First Tee of Lexington, KY
Catie
Tucker
The First Tee of Chattanooga, TN
Click here to find Chapter locations
"It is inspiring to watch these young people display, character, maturity and leadership during The First Tee Participant Selection Process. The forty juniors moving on to Pebble Beach represent some of the brightest and most talented participants in The First Tee network," said The First Tee Executive Director Joe Louis Barrow, Jr. "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," said 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," said 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," stated Monterey Peninsula Foundation President and CEO Ollie Nutt. "No other sport can offer this incredible opportunity to play side-by-side with the legends of the game."
About Wal-Mart:
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 255 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.
As Founding Corporate Partner of The First Tee, Shell Oil Company has provided financial resources to support the development of this charitable youth initiative aimed at promoting character development and life-enhancing values through the game of golf. Because of Shell’s initial contribution, The First Tee has been able to garner the support of hundreds of corporations and organizations that have provided financial or promotional support to The First Tee and its Chapters.
Contact:
Steve Gerrish, The First Tee
(904) 940-4314
Bob McAdam, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
(479) 273-4314
