Category: Participant Spotlight

Saturday was my official tournament round on Pebble Beach Golf Links! Michael Bradley and I had an afternoon tee time of the 1st Hole so I was able to sleep in a bit. Whew! After enjoying another great breakfast in player hospitality, I headed to the practice facility. While working int he short game area, I had the chance to meet Kirk Triplett and Scott McCarron. Once I wrapped up warmups, I met up with Mr. Bradley and worked on marking the pin locations in my yardage book. Saturday’s conditions on Pebble Beach Golf Links were going to be very different from our practice round on Wednesday with sustained winds between 25 – 30mph and gust up to 45mph! What did I learn about playing in high winds on a golf course that sits on the ocean? Putting is extremely difficult! We had to take the wind into account as to how it would impact the speed and direction the putts would roll. My golf highlight of the day? I made a birdie on Hole 6! Throughout the round, I learned a lot from Mr. Bradley – how to deal with nerves, the difference between being in contention and not in contention for a final round. Overall it was a great experience playing with him, I felt like we gelled well together and had a really good time. After my round,  I was exhausted! But, was able to enjoy a nice dinner with my whole family as it was my grandparents last night in California. (Thanks for coming out, gma and gpa!) Sunday made for another super cool experience of a lifetime! While missing a cut is never something you want to have happen – the activities First Tee had planned for us on Sunday, made for an amazing experience that we won’t have again. All participants not playing on Sunday met First Tee staff at the Pebble Beach Visitors Center. We paired up in small groups, joining friends I’d made over the course of the week, and did a Scavenger Hunt which took us all around the Pebble Beach property. From our favorite spots throughout the week, to places we made memories and iconic locations on the golf course – we went everywhere. Once the hunt was completed, we all headed over to the 18th green to cheer on our fellow participants who made the cut and were finishing their round. There ended up being a playoff for the Champions Tour title, between Kirk Triplett and Billy Andrade. Mr. Triplett made a birdie on the first playoff hole, 18, to win the title! The playoff was really fun to watch! After the trophy presentation we were able to get our tournament banners and caddie bibs to bring home – such a cool memento! Then, it was time to say, ‘see you soon’ to our new friends and take one last look across the landscape of Pebble Beach Golf Links. Truly, an experience of a lifetime!

Friday morning I woke up feeling confident. I really liked the layout of Pebble Beach Golf Links and felt very comfortable on the golf course. As my 1:19pm tee time slowly crept up, the dream started to become a reality. As I stood over the ball on the 10th Tee, our first hole of the day, I was so nervous I could feel myself shaking and I thought I was never going to be able to hit the ball. Luckily, my tee shot ended up in the fairway and I made a par on my first hole! WHEW. Holes 11 – 13 were a struggle but I bounced back with birdies on Hole 14 and 15 and then later on Holes 3 and 4. Mr. Broadhurst and I’s combined score for the day was a 7 under par, 65. Post round, my mom and I went straight to our evening event – the Jake Owen concert. My mom loves country music so I wanted to have her come as my chaperone tonight. As the concert began, we all gathered around the stage cheering and enjoying all the songs. Everyone was having such a great time that Jake Owen ended up playing an extra hour than planned! At the end of the night, Drew and I were able to grab a really cool souvenir – a guitar pick from Jake Owen! So far, Friday has definitely been my favorite day of the week! It was a quick turnaround to our second round on Saturday morning at Poppy Hills Golf Club. While the golf course is wonderful, it just didn’t set up to my eye as well as Pebble Beach Golf Links. I fought myself but hit some good shots. Sadly, my putter let me down and I didn’t contribute to our team score much today. Our running joke was that we weren’t sure if Mr. Broadhurst would be able to play on Sunday because his back had to hurt from carrying me all day! Thanks to his stellar play, at the end of the day we finished 11 under par and in contention to make the Pro/Junior cut to play Pebble Beach Golf Links again on Sunday! Our Saturday evening was capped off by getting to have dinner with my cousin, Haley, and watching the sunset on Seventeen Mile Drive! What a great ending to our first two days of golf!

Thursday was our second, and final, practice round before official competition kicked off! While the golf has truly been secondary to the experiences I have gained this week, it’s been quite fun preparing. I did my best to approach today with the same mindset as the day before – to truly enjoy every moment of our walk. Poppy Hills GC is an incredibly nice course. It reminded me a lot of Pinehurst No. 2 and 8. The layout, green shapes and various shots you must hit. A really cool course to have the opportunity to play. After our practice round, I saw Bernard Langer in player dining and introduced myself. What a legend! I was asked to sit down for a pre-recorded interview that may be used during the Golf Channel coverage. I had practiced for this possible moment and it was really cool to have it happen. During the interview they touched on many of the questions we were asked as part of our application process, so that helped me feel comfortable and confident in the conversation. I can’t wait to see if it ends up on TV this week! Our Thursday evening ended with a special dinner at Spanish Bag and watching the Bag Piper’s perform as the sun set over they bay! It was a great day to unwind before things restart tomorrow. Paul Broadhurst and I tee off Hole 10 in the afternoon on Pebble Beach Golf Links. I can’t wait! Thanks for following along!

Good Morning from Pebble Beach, California! BJ Boyce & Drew Spurlock, here. After awaking at 3:30AM EST, we arrived to West Coast time together via a direct flight from Atlanta, GA to San Jose, CA. Landing in San Jose at 10:30AM Pacific Time, which we choose to refer to as In-N-Out Burger time! Stomachs full, we made the drive south, separately, in our rental cars with parents in tow! The views of the coast were amazing. Excitement continued to grow as we went through the gates entering Pebble Beach. Once on property, we went straight to Player Registration, signed up for our practice round tee times, and were distributed our gear for the week including golf shirts, a pullover, a book bag and Taylormade Golf Bag with our name on it! Our golf bags were lined up on the practice putting green at Pebble Beach for us to find and pick up. It was a really cool moment to see my bag waiting there. And, it only took a few minutes to put all my equipment into the new bag! After taking in the ‘awe’ of the 18th Hole of Pebble Beach, we headed over to Poppy Hills Golf Club for a brief practice. Then, Drew, had the opportunity to meet his host family. They are truly so kind to let us into their home for the week and they were as excited to greet us as we were to meet them! Last night was our first official event. We had a First Tee Participant Meeting followed by the Pairings Party where we would learn WHO our PGA TOUR Champions Golf Professional for the week would be. For this year’s reveal, we were handed a sealed envelope to hold onto. HOW HARD IS IT TO NOT PEAK! Then, they introduced ALL 78 of us one by one. And in one swift moment we all opened our envelopes. From there, our Golf Pros began coming over to introduce themselves and kick off a fun week! BJ Boyce’s envelope revealed Paul Broadhurst and Drew Spurlock’s was Michael Bradley! Two really awesome pairings! Both of us were able to meet and talk with our pros. Later, we enjoyed a Glow Golf putting course, Corn Hole and Connect Four while getting to interact and meet our fellow First Tee participants from all over the country. What a truly GREAT first day at the Pure Insurance Championship! Wednesday we have our first practice round, on Pebble Beach Golf Links, at 9:40am. We can’t wait to get Day 2 started! Talk to you after!    

The once-in-a-lifetime experience for BJ Boyce and Drew Spurlock to participate in the 2019 Pure Insurance Championship in Pebble Beach, California. Twelve weeks ago they joined hands watching the selection show LIVE on Golf Channel’s Morning Drive, prepared mentally for how to handle the news, regardless of its outcome, and elated to know they would get to share in their experience on this trip to the west coast. They have joined 76 teens from across the country for a week full of first. From playing two rounds of golf at Pebble Beach Golf Links and Poppy Hills Golf Course – one on each course with a PGA TOUR Champions Professional. To attending functions allowing them to network and be mentored by top leaders across the globe from various industries and life experiences. All while applying what they’ve learned on and off the course at The First Tee!         Leading up to this week’s event, we spoke with BJ and Drew on how they were feeling to make the trip. BJ reflected on his past to describe his emotions. He said, ‘I initially wanted to start attending First Tee, at eight years old, because there were no junior programs nearby and I wanted to play golf with other kids. Looking back, it has helped me come out of my shell. The coaches pushed us to make new friends at class every week. That push has helped me become the person I am today and kept me coming back for the friendships I’ve made and the ones I will continue to make. While I’m in California I hope to overcome my golf nerves, take in every moment and simply have a great experience.’ Later in our conversation, as we discussed what would help overcome nerves, BJ reflected on how he has continued to apply the First Tee’s ALR exercise, Ask – Listen – Respond; saying it has helped him with meeting and interacting around new people, foster conversations and help ease his mind. He plans to practice this exercise throughout his trip and keep his internal nerves at bay! A senior at Union Pines High School, Drew felt ready to try and conquer the experiences to come this week at the Pure Insurance Championship. He reflected on how he had hoped the experience had come a year sooner, but his weak time management skills resulted in not completing the application process, in time. How growing from lessons learned, realizing the results of his weaknesses and changing his mind set by focusing on accomplishing timely task of importance and applying personal deadlines as allowed him to be more successful over the last year. Like BJ, Drew was quick to reference how First Tee has helped him become a more open individual, learning to apply meet and greet strategies while stepping out of his bubble around new people. Drew wrapped up his thoughts by expressing he’s learned to live in the moment, enjoy every moment and wants to take in all that life provides. A philosophy he made sure to pack for his trip to Pebble Beach! We can’t wait to hear about BJ and Drew’s first time experiences, successes and takeaways! First up in their week will be the Tuesday night’s Pairings Party, an exciting unveiling each year for the junior participants. This year’s field of professionals includes World Golf Hall of Fame Members Bernhard Langer, Davis Love III, Mark O’Meara, Vijay Singh and Retief Goosen, defending champions Paul Broadhurst, Ken Tanigawa, and many more stellar players, but better people! We can’t wait to find out who BJ and Drew will play with this weekend and catch up on their day to day experiences. Make sure to check back in our daily blog. It promises to be one for the books.  

Have you ever watched the NCAA Selection Show anxiously waiting to see if you favorite team will be announced? Or better yet, the team you coach or your kiddo plays for? Last Wednesday was our version of the selection show as we watched Golf Channel’s Morning Drive. And, what a morning it was for two kiddos from The First Tee of the Sandhills. After two plus hours of anxiousness, nerves, waiting, walking, more nervous energy, shaky giggles, more waiting, and then… pure joy!     BJ Boyce and Drew Spurlock, saw their names appear on LIVE television. An announcement they will never forget. They had been chosen to participate in this year’s PURE Insurance Championship Impacting The First Tee! Moments after the announcement came through, BJ and Drew were beaming from ear to ear. They felt proud, and ecstatic, to see all the hard work pay off in the end with the chance to attend the 2019 Pure Insurance Championship. It’s truly a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet, play and be mentored by PGA TOUR Champions players and amateurs in the field. Branden, BJ, Boyce is a rising 10^th Grader who is in a homeschooler program. He lives in Spring Lake and joined The First Tee in 2011. Drew Spurlock is a rising Senior at Union Pines High school. He lives in Whispering Pines and joined our local chapter in 2014 after a family military move from Tampa where he was a participant with The First Tee Tampa.           These young men, will join 76 teens from across the country to play with PGA TOUR Champions Professionals and two amateurs as they compete for the Pro-Junior team title during the Pure Insurance Championship contested at Pebble Beach Golf Links and Poppy Hills Golf course in Pebble Beach, California, September 24 – 29. Congratulations, BJ and Drew. We look forward to helping you prepare for your trip to California in September! PS: Make sure to follow along as we release more details in the coming months!