CLOVIS, Calif. (KFSN) — Called the greatest meeting of land and sea, Pebble Beach is the mecca for golfers around the world.
It’s why Karsten Hansen and Sophia Peters are grinning from ear to ear.
“I can’t wait to play hole seven and birdie it,” Hansen said. “I know I’m going to.”
Hansen is a senior at Buchanan High.
“I’ve been playing golf for about three years now seriously, but I’ve been playing since I was a little kid,” Hansen said.
Peters is a junior at Clovis High.
“I really like it when I can just hit the drive down the middle,” she said.
The pair will soon get the chance to showcase those skills on the Monterey Peninsula.
They are two of just 80 golfers selected from around the country – they’ll compete next month in the Pure Insurance Championship alongside PGA Tour champions.
It’s a dream that’s coming true thanks to the First Tee of Fresno.
In less than two decades, the Fresno chapter has sent 17 players to Pebble by helping golfers through a rigorous application that looked at their skill on the course, as well as their grades and achievements in the classroom.
There will be practice rounds at Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill, then tournament rounds at the same courses and if they make the cut, they get to play Pebble again on Sunday.
Part of the rounds will also be shown on the golf channel, a place Karsten should feel at home, given that the Cougar was named after Karsten Solheim, the founder of Ping.
Next month, they’ll be living it up with a week to remember, something your kid could try for by spending at least two years with the First Tee and getting their handicap under six for boys and under eight for girls.
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