It was our first day of practice rounds at the Pure Insurance Championship. Jet lag had hit hard and I was up even earlier for the day to get started. Today’s round would be on Pebble Beach Golf Links and we were lucky enough to get a practice round with 2016 Champion, Paul Broadhurst.
A really unique tie to the tournament is that all players – Professionals, Amateurs and Juniors – all eat meals together. So, we have the chance to meet and mingle with folks of all backgrounds from around the country. Today at breakfast, we had the chance to sit down and eat with Paul before heading out for pre-practice round warm ups.
The minute I stepped on the practice facility and rolled my first few putts, I was blown away at the condition of the course.
When we arrived at the first tee, I was admittedly nervous. I pushed my tee ball into the rough but managed to make a par.
The front 9 was a total blur. I was still in shock I was playing at Pebble Beach Golf Links and had a million thoughts running through my head.
As we made the turn, I was able to clear my head and settle in to playing golf.
A funny moment, on the 18th Hole, my tee shot hit the trunk of the famous tree in the middle of the fairway!
After dinner, we prepped for tonight’s main event – the Legends and Leaders Core Value Banquet. The dinner was amazing. I had the opportunity to meet more participants from the First Tee and build new relationships.
A huge surprise for me – we received a $1,000 college scholarship!
What a great event to participate in and hear from speakers across the country with impactful stories to tell.
Thursday brought a new day and our last day of practice before the official tournament kicks off!
We headed over to play Poppy Hills GC – today with two fellow First Tee participants. Poppy Hills is another amazing course with completely different shots from Pebble Beach the day before.
If was fun to make a few birdies early in our practice round. As the day went on, the winds began to pick up, creating a new set of challenges as we navigated the course.
After our round, we headed back over to Pebble Beach Golf Links to cheer on the First Tee participants playing in the Chevron Shoot Out. The wind was really ripping at Pebble Beach so it was a lot of fun to watch them play Hole 17!
Post shoot out we went and spent some time with our host family before going to dinner at a really great local Italian restaurant called Cafe Fina.
Between all the golf, walking, wind and events I was tired and made it an early bed time as Michael Bradley and I would be teeing off early on Poppy Hills tomorrow morning.
Can’t wait to play with Mr. Bradley and see how our rounds unfold!