Each summer, local youth golfers in the Greater Wilmington test their skills at the local Drive, Chip & Putt Qualifier at Country Club of Landfall. It presents a stage for the participants to showcase their skills but also be able to manage their nerves and emotions. First Tee – Greater Wilmington had 10 participants entered into the DCP at Country Club of Landfall this year. One of those participants, Lula Rivera, advanced to the regional qualifier at UNC Finley on July 21st! Lula scored a total of 70 points, which was enough to place in 3rd and advance to the next round! Lula was competing in the Female 14-15 Age Group with 8 other golfers. What a huge accomplishment!! We give our biggest congrats to her and wish her the best of luck on July 21st at UNC Finley Golf Course.
Other notable First Tee – Greater Wilmington Participants:
Cooper Moss – Finished 2nd in the chip portion of her age division
For more information about what the Drive, Chip & Putt competition is, click here.
WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – Sixteen-year old Grace Holcomb is ready to take on one of the most iconic golf courses in all the world: Pebble Beach.
Holcomb will represent the First Tee of Greater Wilmington when she competes in the 2019 PURE Insurance Championship, an official PGA TOUR Champions event at Pebble Beach Golf Links and Poppy Hills Golf Course September 24 to 29.
“I am excited about hole No. 7 and No. 18,” said Holcomb. “They are pretty and stuff. I am so happy, I remember watching the U.S. Open and thinking I could be there if they pick me.”
Holcomb was selected after a lengthy application process based on their understanding and application of the values learned in First Tee’s programs, as well as their playing ability.
“I had to do a really long application, which was like a college essay,” Holcomb said. “I had to do six short answer ones. You had to do a resume and all your academic successes.”
“There are 78 kids selected and First Tee is international, so 78 is a pretty small number and having a kid selected from our chapter is a big deal,” added Brittany Zachrich the Director of Outreach for the First Tee of Greater Wilmington.
Part of the experience is being paired up with one of the pros. Grace can’t wait to be able to ask them questions.
LINK to Video
The First Tee of Greater Wilmington Teen Selected to Compete in PGA TOUR Champions PURE Insurance Championship Impacting The First Tee
Grace Holcomb heads to Pebble Beach this September
Wilmington, NC (July 3, 2019) – First Tee and PGA TOUR Champions announced today Grace Holcomb will represent the First Tee of Greater Wilmington when she competes in the 2019 PURE Insurance Championship Impacting The First Tee, an official PGA TOUR Champions event to be contested at Pebble Beach Golf Links and Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach, California, September 24-29. The 16th annual event, which is hosted by the Monterey Peninsula Foundation, will be televised internationally on Golf Channel.
The PURE Insurance Championship Impacting The First Tee is the only event of its kind where 78 First Tee teenagers from across the country are paired up with 78 PGA TOUR Champions players and 156 amateurs during an official PGA TOUR Champions tournament. Holcomb will compete for the Pro-Junior Team title. She will join 77 other participants from First Tee chapters across the country. Participants were selected by a national panel of judges based on their understanding and application of the values and life skills learned through First Tee’s programs, as well as their playing ability.
The full junior field was revealed live on Golf Channel’s “Morning Drive” today, including a video of World Golf Hall of Fame Member Jack Nicklaus surprising one of the First Tee participants. Other surprises by PGA TOUR players and Golf Channel hosts had been recorded over the last month and aired today as part of the PURE Insurance Championship announcement.
This year’s field of professionals will include World Golf Hall of Fame Members Bernhard Langer, Mark O’Meara, Vijay Singh and Retief Goosen, as well as defending champion and recent KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship winner Ken Tanigawa. Clint Eastwood serves as chairman of the PURE Insurance Championship.
Play will be conducted on Pebble Beach Golf Links and Poppy Hills Golf Course on Friday and Saturday, with the final round contested solely at Pebble Beach Golf Links on Sunday, where 23 First Tee juniors will compete based on their 36-hole performance. The tournament will crown one male and one female First Tee Junior Champion on Sunday.
“We are proud to continue our involvement with this prestigious event and help support the great work of the Monterey Peninsula Foundation and First Tee,” said Katherine Frattarola, Chief Marketing Officer of the PURE Group of Insurance Companies. “The impact this event has on the incredible young men and women from the First Tee makes this sponsorship tremendously rewarding for our entire team.”
Grace Holcomb is a rising junior at EA Laney High School in Wilmington, NC. She has been a member of the golf team her freshman and sophomore years. She has been a participant of The First Tee of Greater Wilmington since it’s beginning in 2012. She plays a great deal of competitive golf on the Peggy Kirk Bell Golf Tour among others. She is a National Beta Club member, volunteers in the community, and also plays the violin.
“We are so excited for Grace to be the first The First Tee of Greater Wilmington participant to be chosen to participate in the Pure Insurance Championship at Pebble Beach! She has worked so hard on her game and is a great example of Perseverance, and that hard work really does pay off. This has been a goal of hers, and we are so excited to see it come to reality.” Craig Sandstrum, Director of Programming, The First Tee of Greater Wilmington.
Grace said about her opportunity,
I’ve been dreaming about this opportunity since I was about six years old and I can’t believe this is finally happening. It’s just now sinking in. Not a lot of people get this opportunity and The First Tee has given me that.
Grace Holcomb, participant of The First Tee of Greater Wilmington
Nearly 1,000 teens from First Tee have played in the PURE Insurance Championship, experiencing the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet, play and be mentored by PGA TOUR Champions players and amateurs in the field.
First Tee is a youth development organization dedicated to helping young people build character through the game of golf. First Tee of Greater Wilmington is one of 150 chapters around the world introducing the sport of golf and First Tee’s Core Values to kids, positively impacting their lives. Serving the Wilmington area since the fall of 2012, more than 9,000 kids have been impacted through the First Tee of Greater Wilmington’s programs.
To learn more about First Tee of Greater Wilmington, visit https://www.firstteegreaterwilmington.org/. For more information on the 2019 PURE Insurance Championship, visit www.pureinsurancechampionship.com. For more information on Grace, to request an interview or photos, contact Randy Hofer, Executive Director, 888-344-5257 ext. 222, or [email protected].
***About First Tee of Greater Wilmington
The First Tee is an international youth development organization introducing the game of golf and its inherent values. Through after-school and in-school programs, The First Tee of Greater Wilmington helps shape the lives of young people from all walks. The First Tee Life Skills Experience provides the proven elements: safe places, intentional and trained caring adults, and developmentally appropriate and empowering curricula. At the center of our programs are Nine Core Values: honesty, integrity, respect, responsibility, courtesy, sportsmanship, confidence, judgment and perseverance, which are essential for young people to make positive choices and overcome challenges across all areas of their lives.
About Monterey Peninsula Foundation
Monterey Peninsula Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization which donates funds from the proceeds of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on the PGA TOUR and the PURE Insurance Championship Impacting The First Tee, a PGA TOUR Champions tournament. The Foundation focuses on improving the quality of life in Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Benito counties.
www.attpbgolf.comwww.pureinsurancechampionship.comAbout PURE
Privilege Underwriters Reciprocal Exchange (PURE) is a member-owned reciprocal insurer dedicated to creating an exceptional experience for responsible high net worth individuals and families. PURE provides customizable coverage for high-value homes, automobiles, jewelry, art, personal liability, watercraft, flood, fraud and cyber fraud to more than 75,000 responsible, high net worth families throughout the U.S. Inspired by some of the finest policyholder-owned companies, PURE emphasizes alignment of interests and transparency. PURE’s low cost of capital, careful member selection and proactive risk management all contribute to highly competitive rates. In return for a fee, PURE Risk Management, LLC acts as Attorney-in-Fact for PURE. PURE membership is subject to an executed Subscriber’s Agreement & Power of Attorney. For more information or to find a local broker, visit pureinsurance.com. You can follow PURE on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.
About PGA TOUR Champions
PGA TOUR Champions is a membership organization of professional golfers age 50 and older, including 35 members of the World Golf Hall of Fame. The Tour’s mission is to provide financial opportunities for its players, entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back and generate significant charitable and economic impact in tournament communities. In 2019, the PGA TOUR Champions schedule includes 27 tournaments across the United States, Scotland and Canada, with purses totaling more than $56 million. The Charles Schwab Cup, which includes the Regular Season and the Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs, is used to determine the season-long champion. All events are televised in the United States, with most receiving complete coverage on Golf Channel, the exclusive cable-television partner of PGA TOUR Champions. Internationally, telecasts air in excess of 190 countries and territories, reaching more than 350 million potential households. Follow PGA TOUR Champions online at PGATOUR.com, at facebook.com/PGATOURChampions, on Twitter @ChampionsTour and on Instagram @championstour.
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The Seventh Annual Future Generations Golf Tournament to benefit youth of The First Tee of Greater Wilmington (a 501c3) will be held at Porters Neck Country Club on Monday, October 7, 2019 – 9:00AM Shotgun.
At our facility at the Municipal Golf Course (Muni) featuring a 3-hole short course in classic John Fought design and five other local golf courses, The First Tee emphasizes Nine Core Values delivered through the platform of golf. They are honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, respect, confidence, responsibility, perseverance, courtesy and judgment. Teaming up with experts in positive youth development, The First Tee helps youth ages 5 to 17 become good golfers and even better people. We also are partnering with other youth serving agencies, PAL, YMCA, YWCA, Boys & Girls Clubs, Boy Scouts of America and GLOW Academy to deliver outreach programs at our Muni facility.
We currently reach over 9,500 youth at our facility, schools and other youth serving agencies. Your support will provide the funding to assist and expand The First Tee youth opportunities and programs in Wilmington.
See EVENTS tab for all sign up information
The First Tee of Greater Wilmington hosted the second annual Halloween party yesterday at our facility adjacent to the Wilmington Municipal Golf Course. A special thanks to all of of the participants and coaches for making this such a fun and successful event. Continue reading “Halloween Spooktacular 2018”
The First Tee of Greater Wilmington recently attended The First Tee National Convention as it celebrated its 20th anniversary in Orlando, FL. The First Tee of Greater Wilmington’s Randy Hofer, Executive Director, and Craig Sandstrum, Director of Programming, were both recognized for their tremendous efforts.
Last session for fall was a blast for the kids in our Player class at the Muni.
WECT 6 News covered the event and interviewed some of the participants on Halloween night.
Link to WECT6 Video
It was recently announced by the World Golf Foundation Board of Directors that Keith Dawkins, an executive for Viacom’s Nickelodeon, will become The First Tee’s next CEO.
President George W. Bush, The First Tee’s Honorary Chairman, welcomed Dawkins to the position at Liberty National Golf Club, site of the 2017 Presidents Cup, alongside The First Tee Chairman Tim Finchem, who introduced Keith to the organization’s Trustees during a breakfast meeting. Dawkins will replace current CEO, Joe Louis Barrow, Jr., who is set to retire at the end of 2017.
