Youth players named for Nature Valley First Tee Open

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ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. -- Seventy participants representing 47 chapters of The First Tee have been selected to play in the Nature Valley First Tee Open at Pebble Beach, an official Champions Tour event held July 8-10 and televised nationally on Golf Channel.

These young men and women were selected through a process that evaluates participants' playing ability and comprehension of the life skills and character education learned through their involvement with The First Tee. More than 250 applications were submitted. Of the 70 selected to play, 47 are junior boys and 23 are junior girls.

Monterey Peninsula Foundation, the event's host organization, will select eight more juniors next week to participate in the event. Overall, 78 Champions Tour players will be teamed with 78 juniors and 156 amateurs as they compete for the title at Pebble Beach Golf Links and Del Monte Golf Course.

The participants selected to play are listed below.

Champions Tour players scheduled to play include World Golf Hall of Fame members Ben Crenshaw and Tom Kite, along with past champions of this unique event, Craig Stadler, Scott Simpson and Jeff Sluman, who captured the title in 2008 and 2009. Chip Beck, John Cook and fan-favorite Fuzzy Zoeller have also committed.

Clint Eastwood is chairman of the event and Arnold Palmer is honorary co-chair. Play will be conducted on Pebble Beach Golf Links and Del Monte Golf Course on Friday and Saturday, and on Pebble Beach only on Sunday.

Leading up to and during the event, participants?many of whom are playing Pebble Beach for the first time?will blog about their experiences. To learn more about the Nature Valley First Tee Open at Pebble Beach, visit www.thefirstteeopen.com. To learn more about The First Tee, visit www.thefirsttee.org.

The First Tee Participants Selected to Play in 2011 Event

Arizona
Timothy Briones The First Tee of Phoenix
Mike McGilton The First Tee of Phoenix
Anthony Quezada The First Tee of Phoenix

California
Adam Zakaria The First Tee of Central Coast
Kathleen Rojas The First Tee of Central Valley
Megan Conder The First Tee of Contra Costa
Alanna Loyd The First Tee of Fresno
Brandon Baumgarten The First Tee of Greater Sacramento
Nichole Cruz The First Tee of Greater Sacramento
Drew Robbins The First Tee of Greater Sacramento
Sara Scarlett The First Tee of Greater Sacramento
Clare Sorensen The First Tee of Greater Sacramento
Jorgeo Catolico The First Tee of San Diego
Andrea Wong The First Tee of San Francisco
Kalmina Wu The First Tee of San Jose
Samantha Martin The First Tee of South Los Angeles
Monique Riley The First Tee of The Tri-Valley

Florida
Kelly Allen The First Tee of Jacksonville
Blair Waters The First Tee of Jacksonville
Rocky Hirsch The First Tee of Lakeland
Markie McCann The First Tee of Lakeland
Stefano Diaz The First Tee of Miami
Stephanie Carlozzi The First Tee of Naples/Collier
Abraham Bell The First Tee of St. Johns County
Benjarong Murray The First Tee of St. Petersburg

Georgia
Tommy Swearingen, III The First Tee of Atlanta
Martavious Adams The First Tee of East Lake

Illinois
Blake Billups The First Tee of Joliet

Indiana
Logan Bertalan The First Tee of Valparaiso

Kansas
Benjamin Hargrave The First Tee of Salina

Kentucky
Ben Davis The First Tee of Lexington
Michael Wilson The First Tee of Pine Mountain

Louisiana
Ryan Alford The First Tee of Northwest Louisiana

Massachusetts
Trevor Bernier The First Tee of Massachusetts

Maryland
Bryana Nguyen The First Tee of Howard County

Minnesota
Elizabeth Bauernfeind The First Tee of Three Rivers Park District
Jack Holmgren The First Tee of Three Rivers Park District

Nevada
Tess Jones The First Tee of Northern Nevada
Julian Glasser The First Tee of Southern Nevada
Sarah Thomas The First Tee of Southern Nevada

New Jersey
Kuriko Tsukiyama The First Tee of Metropolitan New York

New York
Cory Cullen The First Tee of Western New York
Patrick Fahey The First Tee of Western New York
Tyler McCaine The First Tee of Metropolitan New York
Kyle Morris The First Tee of Metropolitan New York

North Carolina
Tim Bringard The First Tee of Brunswick County
Harrison Taylor The First Tee of Brunswick County
John Dunlap The First Tee of the Sandhills
Kendall Dunn The First Tee of the Triad

Ohio
Chase Johnson The First Tee of Akron
Patrick Schultz The First Tee of Akron

Oklahoma
Nadia Majidi The First Tee of Tulsa

Oregon
Austin Landis The First Tee of Greater Portland

Pennsylvania
Andrew Demofonte The First Tee of Sharon

Tennessee
Aaron Burnett The First Tee of Nashville
Lindsay Davis The First Tee of Pine Mountain

Texas
Allie Agrella The First Tee of Greater Austin
Lakareber Abe The First Tee of Greater Houston
Thomas Cazares The First Tee of Greater Houston
Gregory Steinhelper The First Tee of San Antonio
Kade Keith The First Tee of The Piney Woods
Felicia Sauceda The First Tee of The Golden Triangle

Virginia
Drew Board The First Tee of Roanoke Valley
Kolton Cooper The First Tee of Roanoke Valley
Tony Liu The First Tee of Charlottesville
Jason Park The First Tee of Richmond & Chesterfield
Gavin Parker The First Tee of Richmond & Chesterfield

Washington
Haley Chinn The First Tee of Greater Seattle
Lyle Rudnicki The First Tee of Greater Seattle
Oliver Rudnicki The First Tee of Greater Seattle