Golf and nature lovers: The Nature Valley First Tee Open at Pebble Beach has almost arrived. This year the event runs from September 13-18, 2016. This annual tournament offers up great golf, of course. You’ll see your favorite players. You’ll be out on the links again. But more than that, you can feel good knowing proceeds go to The First Tee. With names behind the event like Clint Eastwood and Arnold Palmer you know you’re in for a treat. Here are a few more details about this year’s outing.
Let’s start with a list of just five of the professionals, including the defending champion, who will be playing this year:
- Mark Brooks
- Scott Dunlap
- Jeff Hart
- Esteban Toledo
- Grant Waite
The playing field is vast: it consists of 81 PGA Tour champions, 81 Junior golfers, and 162 Amateurs.
The purpose of this event is to model values such as perseverance, judgment and responsibility to the newest generation of golfers while giving them an awe inspiring tournament experience. These young players, aged 14 to 18, are evaluated and chosen by a panel of judges who review not only their playing ability but also their life skills and core values learned via their association with First Tee.
The purse for this year’s tournament is $2,000,000. It’s a 54-hole golf event; the first of its kind. It’s played on Pebble Beach Golf Links and Poppy Hills Golf Course. Professionals play all rounds. The Junior/Pro teams will play ‘gross best ball’, and the Amateurs ‘net best ball’ of foursome. For a complete listing of professional players, please click this link.
Here is a list of important dates, places, and times (note that most tee times begin at 7:30 a.m.):
- Tuesday, September 13 & Wednesday, September 14, 2016 – Practice Rounds.
- Thursday, September 15, 2016 – Practice Rounds. From 2 p.m., the Coca-Cola Champions Challenge (1st Tee)
- Friday, September 16, 2016 – First Round.
- Saturday, September 17, 2016 – Second Round.
- Sunday, September 18, 2016 – Final round, then the awards ceremony.
To learn more about this year’s tournament, please visit the organizer’s main website.
Before closing, here are a few more things you’ll want to know. Admission is free for the whole week! In addition, parking is free and the Pebble Beach gate fee will be waived for tournament spectators. A handy link to learn everything else about your attendance at the event can be found here. It covers the schedule of events, policies and etiquette, FAQs, and more.
This list was accurate at the time of publication; please check directly with the venue to ensure dates, times, and locations remain the same.