First Tee participants to play in official PGA TOUR Champions event at Pebble Beach in September

Nature Valley First Tee Open at Pebble Beach Brings 81 Teenagers an Opportunity of a Lifetime

The First Tee participants to play in official PGA TOUR Champions event at Pebble Beach in September

St. Augustine, Fla. (July 6, 2016) – Participants representing chapters of The First Tee throughout the country have been selected to play in the Nature Valley First Tee Open at Pebble Beach, an official PGA TOUR Champions event hosted by Monterey Peninsula Foundation. The event will be held September 13-18 and televised internationally on Golf Channel.

Eighty-one young men and women listed below, ages 14 to 18, were selected by a national panel of judges that evaluated participants’ playing ability and comprehension of the life skills and core values learned through their involvement with The First Tee.

“At Nature Valley we have great admiration for the mission of The First Tee. The program has such a meaningful impact in the lives of young people by strengthening important values like responsibility, judgement and perseverance. The opportunity for these teenagers to be selected as a part of The First Tee has the power to transform lives,” said Carla Vernón at General Mills. “The teenagers selected to play in the Nature Valley First Tee Open have worked hard to prepare for this opportunity, and we are immensely proud to welcome them to this year’s tournament.”

The juniors will be teamed with 81 PGA TOUR Champions players and 162 amateurs as they compete for the pro-junior title at Pebble Beach Golf Links and Poppy Hills Golf Course. Players committed to compete include two-time major championship winner John Daly, World Golf Hall of Fame member and 28-time PGA TOUR Champions winner Bernhard Langer, and defending champion Esteban Toledo.

The junior field was announced this morning on Golf Channel’s Morning Drive. The show included PGA TOUR players Steve Stricker and Billy Hurley III, PGA TOUR player and The First Tee alumnus Scott Langley, Golf Channel’s Charlie Rymer and 2013 Nature Valley First Tee Open pro-junior winner Michelle Xie surprising six juniors with the news of their selection. Highlights from the coverage can be found on www.golfchannel.com.

“We are pleased to introduce this year’s juniors in the Nature Valley First Tee Open, an event to which many have been working hard to secure their spot for years,” Joe Louis Barrow, Jr., chief executive officer of The First Tee, said. “We appreciate our partners—Nature Valley, PGA TOUR Champions, Pebble Beach Resorts, Monterey Peninsula Foundation and Golf Channel—and their commitment to the event which is a life-changing experience for the juniors.”

In its 13th year, more than 710 participants from The First Tee chapters have benefited from the opportunity to play in the tournament by meeting and learning from PGA TOUR Champions players and amateurs in the field, utilizing the leadership and life skills they have acquired at their chapters. The Nature Valley First Tee Open is one of 10 national opportunities provided by The First Tee home office to encourage and motivate young people as they progress through the program and toward high school graduation.

The First Tee is a nonprofit youth development organization with golf programs centered on building character through Nine Core Values™: honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, respect, confidence, responsibility, perseverance, courtesy and judgment.

Clint Eastwood is chairman of the event and Arnold Palmer, World Golf Hall of Fame member and Trustee of The First Tee, is honorary co-chair. Play will be conducted on Pebble Beach Golf Links and Poppy Hills Golf Course on Fridayand Saturday, and final round will be played on Pebble Beach on Sunday.

For more information, visit www.thefirstteeopen.com. To learn more about The First Tee, visit www.thefirsttee.org.

The First Tee Participants Selected to Play in 2016 Nature Valley First Tee Open

Alphabetical by state

First Name:	Last Name:	Chapter:	City:	State:
Josie	Roberson	The First Tee of Central Arkansas	Maumelle	AR
William	Gibson	The First Tee of Fort Smith	Fort Smith	AR
Sydnie	Gamble	The First Tee of Fort Smith	Greenwood	AR
Grayson	Martin	The First Tee of Central Arkansas	White Hall	AR
Patrick	Fernandez	The First Tee of Phoenix	Surprise	AZ
Dylan	Choi	The First Tee of Greater Pasadena	La Cañada	CA
Caitlyn	Yamashita	The First Tee of Greater Pasadena	Pasadena	CA
Beah	Cruz	The First Tee of Greater Sacramento	Fairfield	CA
Emily	Dixon	The First Tee of Greater Sacramento	Rocklin	CA
Grant	Leppek	The First Tee of Greater Sacramento	Rocklin	CA
Neeve	Chen	The First Tee of Greater Sacramento	Roseville	CA
Jonathan	Tanihana	The First Tee of Greater Sacramento	Sacramento	CA
Calista	Reyes	The First Tee of San Diego	San Diego	CA
Catherine	Batang	The First Tee of San Francisco	San Francisco	CA
Madeline	Zunino	The First Tee of San Joaquin	Stockton	CA
Isabelle	Castro	The First Tee of Silicon Valley	San Jose	CA
Jacob	Meyberg	The First Tee of Silicon Valley	San Jose	CA
Joshua	Meyberg	The First Tee of Silicon Valley	San Jose	CA
Rachel	Roter	The First Tee of the Tri-Valley	Livermore	CA
Kailer	Rundiks	The First Tee of Denver	Denver	CO
Chase	Skrubis	The First Tee of Connecticut	North Granby	CT
Kaden	Kinard	The First Tee of Delaware	New Castle	DE
Nicolas	Kresl	The First Tee of Lakeland	Lakeland	FL
Jake	Moscoso	The First Tee of Miami	Miami	FL
Christian	Taylor	The First Tee of Naples/Collier	Naples	FL
Kelly	Newbrough	The First Tee of Naples/Collier	Naples	FL
Makenzie	Hotchkiss	The First Tee of Naples/Collier	Naples	FL
Peter	George	The First Tee of Naples/Collier	Naples	FL
Trevor	Madridejos	The First Tee of North Florida	St. Augustine	FL
Madelyn	Dimitroff	The First Tee of Northwest Florida	Pensacola	FL
Brandon	Pozzie	The First Tee of Sarasota/Manatee	Bradenton	FL
Isabella	Stepanek	The First Tee of Sarasota/Manatee	Sarasota	FL
Nicole	Polivchak	The First Tee of Sarasota/Manatee	Sarasota	FL
Sadie	Chlapowski	The First Tee of St. Petersburg	St. Petersburg	FL
Claire	Vermette	The First Tee of St. Petersburg	St. Petersburg	FL
James	Morotti II	The First Tee of Tampa Bay	Brandon	FL
Brandon	Doner	The First Tee of The Palm Beaches	Palm Beach Gardens	FL
Alejandra	Ayala	The First Tee of Atlanta	Alpharetta	GA
Brette	Bryant	The First Tee of Augusta	Augusta	GA
Madison	Harwell	The First Tee of Augusta	Evans	GA
Perry	Chong	The First Tee of Hammond	Chicago	IL
Emily	Harvey	The First Tee of Valparaiso	Crown Point	IN
Yianni	Kostouros	The First Tee of Valparaiso	Crown Point	IN
Cole	Elmore	The First Tee of Salina	Salina	KS
Tyler	Armstrong	The First Tee of East Baton Rouge Parish	Zachary	LA
Julia	Simon	The First Tee of Greater New Orleans	New Orleans	LA
Jairus	Gaines	The First Tee of Greater Baltimore	Baltimore	MD
Tyler	Burkum	The First Tee of Three Rivers Park District	Maple Grove	MN
Pierce	Robinson	The First Tee of the Foothills	Kings Mountain	NC
Connor	Moore	The First Tee of the Triangle	Durham	NC
Kayla	Parsons	The First Tee of the Triangle	Raleigh	NC
Ryan	Birkedal	The First Tee of the Triad	Lewisville	NC
Lauren	Thibodeau	The First Tee of New Hampshire	Hampstead	NH
Abbi	Fleiner	The First Tee of Northern Nevada	Reno	NV
Joshua	Fleiner	The First Tee of Northern Nevada	Reno	NV
Faith	Francioso	The First Tee of Metropolitan New York	Wantagh	NY
Summer	Marshall	The First Tee of Metropolitan Oklahoma City	Norman	OK
Soulai	Vang	The First Tee of Tulsa	Oologah	OK
Tya	Seth	The First Tee of Greater Portland	West Linn	OR
Kendel	Abrams	The First Tee of Greater Baltimore	New Freedom	PA
Brice	Smoker	The First Tee of Aiken	North Augusta	SC
Megan	Tang	The First Tee of Memphis	Memphis	TN
Trinity	King	The First Tee of Fort Worth	Arlington	TX
Calista	Lothliam	The First Tee of Fort Worth	Fort Worth	TX
Alexander	Lowe	The First Tee of Fort Worth	Westworth Village	TX
Annaliesia	Salazar	The First Tee of Greater Dallas	Balch Springs	TX
Mariano	Barbosa	The First Tee of Greater Dallas	Dallas	TX
Aysis	Azarcon	The First Tee of Greater Dallas	Grand Prairie	TX
Stephen	Boyd	The First Tee of Greater Houston	Houston	TX
Scott	Schuster	The First Tee of Greater Houston	Katy	TX
Aubrey	Zastoupil	The First Tee of The Piney Woods	Longview	TX
Zoe	Mayfield	The First Tee of The Piney Woods	Longview	TX
Lauren	Palmer	The First Tee of Greater San Antonio	San Antonio	TX
Ryan	Woo	The First Tee of Greater Richmond	Richmond	VA
Drew	White	The First Tee of Greater Washington, D.C.	Alexandria	VA
Gerry	Jones, Jr.	The First Tee of Hampton Roads	Suffolk	VA
Ross	Funderburke	The First Tee of Roanoke Valley	Roanoke	VA
Callie	Montgomery	The First Tee of Roanoke Valley	Hardy	VA
Julia	Dai	The First Tee of Greater Seattle	Bellevue	WA
Dylan	Bissell	The First Tee of Yakima	Yakima	WA
Maxwell	Turnquist	The First Tee of Yakima	Yakima	WA

About Monterey Peninsula Foundation

Monterey Peninsula Foundation (MPF) is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization which disburses funds from the proceeds of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on the PGA TOUR and the Nature Valley First Tee Open at Pebble Beach, a PGA TOUR Champions tournament.. MPF focuses on improving the quality of life in Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Benito counties. www.montereypeninsulafoundation.org; www.attpbgolf.com; www.thefirstteeopen.com

About PGA TOUR Champions

PGA TOUR Champions has the most recognizable and accomplished players in the game, with many of its 34 members in the World Golf Hall of Fame competing regularly in its events. It’s where Legends play. The Tour also counts numerous other major championship winners among its members. PGA TOUR Champions is a 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. PGA TOUR Champions primary purpose 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, protect the integrity of the game and generate significant charitable and economic impact in communities in which it plays. Points earned in official Charles Schwab Cup events in 2015 determined Bernhard Langer as the Charles Schwab Cup champion. In 2016, the newly-introduced Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs will identify and recognize the Tour’s leading player. The Commissioner of the PGA TOUR is Tim Finchem. Greg McLaughlin is President of PGA TOUR Champions. The PGA TOUR’s website is pgatour.com, the No. 1 site in golf, and the organization is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Follow the PGA TOUR Champions at facebook.com/ChampionsTour and on Twitter @ChampionsTour.

About Nature Valley®

Nature Valley created the granola bar category in 1975 and brings great taste to active consumers looking for wholesome snacks. Nature Valley offers nine great-tasting granola snacks: Crunchy Granola Bars, Sweet & Salty Nut Granola Bars, Chewy Trail Mix Bars, Granola Thins, Yogurt Granola Bars, Roasted Nut Crunch Bars, Protein Bars, Soft-Baked Oatmeal Squares and Protein Granola. Nature Valley is also the Official Granola Bar of the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour and Web.com Tour, the United States Ski and Snowboarding Association, Nature Valley NASTAR, Cross Country Ski Areas Association, Vail Resorts. In addition, Nature Valley is a sponsor of the National Parks Conservation Association.

About Golf Channel

Golf Channel is a multimedia, golf entertainment and services company based in Orlando, Fla. Serving the most-affluent audience in all of television, Golf Channel – co-founded by Arnold Palmer in 1995 and now part of NBC Sports Group – is available in more than 200 million homes in 84 countries and 11 languages around the world. Golf Channel features more live golf coverage than all other networks combined, including tournament action from the PGA TOUR, LPGA Tour, The Open, Olympics, and Ryder Cup, as well as high-quality news, instruction and original programming. Golf Channel’s digital platforms, headed by GolfChannel.com, deliver unmatched coverage of the world of golf. Fans are able to enjoy 24/7 live streaming of Golf Channel content through Golf Live Extra and NBC Sports Live Extra, both powered by Playmaker Media, and select programming is simulcast via SiriusXM’s PGA TOUR Radio. In addition, Golf Channel connects the world to golf through a wide array of digital and lifestyle services including Golf Channel Mobile, a comprehensive app covering golf’s latest headlines, scores and analysis; GolfNow, the world’s largest online tee time booking platform and golf course technology partner, which includes the GolfNow Mobile App, featuring on-course GPS tracking, in-round scoring and game tracking; GolfAdvisor.com, the world’s largest golf course ratings and review resource for golfers, by golfers; a North American network of Golf Channel Academy instructional facilities; and Golf Channel Am Tour, the world’s largest amateur golf tour.

About The First Tee

The First Tee (www.thefirsttee.org) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit youth development organization whose mission is to impact the lives of young people by providing educational programs that build character, instill life-enhancing values and promote healthy choices through the game of golf. With its home office at World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Fla., The First Tee reaches young people on golf courses, in elementary schools and at other youth-serving locations.

Since its inception in 1997, The First Tee has grown its network to deliver programs in all 50 United States and select international locations. In 2015, The First Tee brought character education through the game of golf to more than 4.7 million young people. The First Tee’s Founding Partners are LPGA, the Masters Tournament, PGA of America, PGA TOUR and the USGA. Shell Oil Company is The First Tee’s Founding Corporate Partner and Johnson & Johnson is its Legacy Partner. Former President George W. Bush serves as honorary chair.