SBHS junior Nathan Winn travels to Arkansas for selection
process, will compete in First Tee Open at Pebble
It’s more than just a couple rounds of golf.
SBHS junior Nathan Winn travels to Arkansas for selection process, will compete in First Tee Open at Pebble
It’s more than just a couple rounds of golf.
Traveling to Rogers, Ark., last week for an opportunity to play in the Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach in late August, San Benito High School junior Nathan Winn delivered a two-day score of 164 (76-88) to finish 35th out of some 88 golfers at the Shadow Valley Country Club.
Winn’s score was enough to qualify him toward The First Tee Open, if it was only his score that evaluators from The First Tee Open were looking at.
Again, it’s more than just a couple rounds of golf.
“It’s an organization that specifically targets junior golfers and makes sure there is a future for golf by targeting junior golfers,” Winn said. “But there’s more to it than just golf. Like skills and core values are taught.”
And Winn delivered more than just a strong golf score last week. Qualifying toward The First Tee Open, an official Champions Tour event, Winn will team up with a Champions Tour player and two amateurs at Pebble Beach for a nationally televised tournament to be held Aug. 31-Sept. 6.
Such Champions Tour players in the past have included Mark O’Meara, Craig Stadler, Ben Crenshaw, Tom Kite, Fuzzy Zoeller, Nick Price and Tom Watson, among others.
“This is probably one of my biggest accomplishments, by far,” Winn said.
“I think I will be (nervous) once I get to the first tee on that first day. But other than that, I’m just really excited about it.”
Before he earned the chance to play at Pebble, though, Winn had to survive a somewhat grueling selection process, which began when his essay was one of the lucky few to be chosen. Among some 250 golfers across the country who submitted essays just in order to compete at the Shadow Valley Country Club in Arkansas, Winn’s was one of 88 selected.
From there, Winn carded rounds of 76 (39-37) and 88 (45-43) at Shadow Valley, but also took a written test and went through an interview process that further critiqued his essay as well as discussed his involvement within his First Tee chapter, The First Tee of Monterey County.
“They don’t just look at your golf score,” said Winn, who will be competing at The First Tee Open for the first time in August.
Last year, Winn traveled to Kansas for the selection process. He believed he’d be chosen to compete at the Pebble Beach tournament after he thought his interview went well, but he never was selected.
Since then, he said he’s become more involved within his chapter, and has since become a better golfer as well.
“I’ve incorporated the First Tee more into my life since last year, going to a lot more classes and doing a lot more volunteer work,” he said.
Winn, however, was understandably skeptical this year. Thinking he qualified last year but didn’t, Winn said he tried to be more relaxed and confident throughout, especially during the interview process.
“I think that was one of the reasons why I qualified this year,” Winn said. “I trusted myself that I’d make it this year.”
Winn is currently one of 70 participants selected to compete, with eight exemptions to be made by The Monterey Peninsula Foundation, the host organization. Winn’s professional partner is expected to be announced in the upcoming weeks.
“Just the chance to play at Pebble Beach, on a senior tour event on TV, it’s gonna be pretty amazing,” Winn said.
The Wal-Mart First Tee Open will be held at Pebble Beach Golf Links from Aug. 31-Sept. 6.
