Wal-Mart First Tee Open at
Pebble Beach

The Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach serves as a showcase for The First Tee, an initiative of the World Golf Foundation to provide young people of all backgrounds an opportunity to develop life-enhancing values through golf and character education.

The Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach, a unique event on the Champions Tour, was launched in 2004. It is held on two of the Monterey Peninsula’s most beautiful and world-renowned golf courses, Pebble Beach Golf Links and Del Monte Golf Course.

This 54-hole event, the first of its kind, features 78 Champions Tour players and 78 junior golfers ages 13-18. The juniors qualify via regional open qualifiers, First Tee chapter qualifiers and exemptions. In addition to the Champions Tour players and juniors, 156 amateurs complete the field.

There is a Champions Tour competition, a professional / junior team competition and a professional / amateur competition. Play is on Del Monte and Pebble Beach Friday and Saturday. The low 22 professional / junior teams and low 10 amateur teams that make the ‘Cut’ after Saturday’s round advance to Sunday’s round which is played at Pebble and covered by international television. Tournament winners to date are Craig Stadler, Hale Irwin, Scott Simpson, and Gil Morgan. The junior winners have been: 2004 – Aaron Woodard, The First Tee of Denver, with Craig Stadler; 2005 – Amit Odaiyar, The First Tee of Sacramento, with Jim Thorpe; 2006 – Scott Langley, The First Tee of Little Rock, with Dana Quigley; 2007 – Harold Varner, junior exemption, with Morris Hatalsky.

In its first four years, this unique event has established itself as truly magical, embraced by the TOUR players, amateurs and by the incredibly talented youth.