The First Tee of East Lake is sending Aubrey Graves to compete in the 2015 Nature Valley First Tee Open at Pebble Beach, an official Champions Tour event that will be held September 25-27 and televised internationally on Golf Channel.
Aubrey will join 80 other participants from The First Tee chapters across the country for the event, now in its 12th year. Aubrey was selected by a national panel of judges who evaluated playing ability and comprehension of the life skills and character education learned through their involvement with The First Tee.
Aubrey’s love of golf began at a young age. Following his older brother to practice on Saturdays, Coach Nyre Williams took an interest in Aubrey and began providing basic golf lessons at age 3. Over time, while participating in The First Tee of East Lake program, Aubrey’s golf skills and knowledge of sport progressed immensely. Aubrey will graduate high school in 2016 and plans to major in Professional Golf Management in college. He hopes to use the skills learned from The First Tee program combined with his education to become a Professional Golf Instructor and Player.
Champions Tour players committed to play include last year’s Nature Valley First Tee Open winner John Cook, Charles Schwab Cup contender and World Golf Hall of Fame member Colin Montgomerie, as well as our former The First Tee of East Lake Friends Board Member Billy Andrade.
Graves and the other juniors will be teamed with 81 Champions Tour players and 162 amateurs as they compete for the pro-junior title at Pebble Beach Golf Links and Poppy Hills Golf Course. Play will be conducted on these courses on Friday and Saturday, and the final round will be played on Pebble Beach Sunday.
“We are so delighted a participant from the East Lake Chapter has been selected to participate in this great event. Aubrey has really worked hard on and off the golf course. Therefore, this great opportunity is well deserved by a great young man,” said The First Tee of East Lake Coach, Nyre Williams.
The First Tee of East Lake is one of 175 chapters around the country and in select international locations. Serving the East Lake Community since 2005. Currently more than 800 young people are impacted yearly through daily chapter programs, afterschool and Saturday programs. The golf-based programs are focused on building character through The First Tee Nine Core Values: honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, respect, confidence, responsibility, perseverance, courtesy, and judgment.
To learn more about The First Tee of East Lake, visit www.thefirstteeeastlake.org. For more information on the 2015 Nature Valley First Tee Open, visit www.thefirstteeopen.com. For more information on Aubrey Graves, to request an interview or photos, please contact Catherine Woodling at cwoodling@eastlakefoundation.org or 404-373-4351.
The First Tee® of East Lake is a year-round golf instruction and mentoring program of the East Lake Foundation that uses the principles of golf – discipline, hard work and integrity – to enhance the academic achievement and life skills of youth in Atlanta’s East Lake neighborhood.
Golf also helps open doors to college scholarships, business connections and jobs. The initiative provides young people of all backgrounds an opportunity to develop life-enhancing values such as honesty and sportsmanship through golf and character education. More than 1,200 East Lake children have participated in the golf program since 1998.
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Media Contact:
Catherine Woodling, Director of Communications and Marketing
404-974-4506
cwoodling@eastlakefoundation.org
