“Hello, this is Sam West, reporting live from East Lake Golf Course,” is how I started my experience at the TOUR Championship. As a Drew Charter School Media Correspondent, I had the wonderful opportunity of being interviewed on local television on Fox 5 News Atlanta.  This experience helped me understand how fun and interesting an occupation in sports journalism can be. Getting a behind-the-scenes look at the media center and meeting with local, national and international reporters, I now really understand how the TOUR Championship is broadcasted around the world. I worked with Fox 5 to deliver a special segment all about the East Lake Foundation, along with custom golf bags made by artists such as Greg Mike, Yoyo Ferro, hellaLEAH, and Drew Borders that are being auctioned off to support the tournament beneficiaries.

I also got to participate in an official player press conference for Shane Lowry, an Irish Golfer playing in the TOUR Championship, and I even got to ask him a question. I asked Lowry, “How important is it that these tournaments, especially the TOUR Championship, give back to the community?” His response being, “Yeah, I think one of the amazing things PGA TOUR does around America is the way it gives back to local communities, and obviously what they’ve done here over the years at East Lake and the East Lake Foundation and all that is pretty cool. We’re very fortunate as golfers to live the life we have, and if we can be a part of anything small that’s giving back to local communities around America and around the world, it’s pretty cool to be a part of that. I think the PGA TOUR does a great job with that.” This was a helpful experience to help me understand the true impact of the tournament in bringing the community together and showing that this event is bigger than golf.

Lastly, I saw a new Trust at East Lake housing development under construction by the Atlanta Land Trust in partnership with the East Lake Foundation. These 40 for-sale townhomes will be available at an affordable rate thanks in part to the support from the TOUR Championship. It was a great experience to see in person what this tournament does for my community, and how an area I walk past every day is being transformed by the efforts of the East Lake Foundation. These experiences on the practice round day of the TOUR Championship have shown me how much the East Lake Foundation does for my community, and it has given me invaluable insight and information into what it’s like to have an occupation in journalism, and what it’s like to be a professional golfer as well. As a golfer myself, this experience will help me to further my career and continue to make connections as well as uplift my community alongside the East Lake Foundation.

By Sam West, Drew Charter School Junior and Drew Charter School Varsity Golfer