Local Teen Selected to Play with Pro Golfers on Champions Tour in Nature Valley First Tee Open at Pebble Beach

Hanna Brauburger heads to Pebble Beach Week of Sept. 22  

Lowell, Ark. (July 14, 2014) – The First Tee of Northwest Arkansas (TFTNWA) is sending Hanna Brauburger to compete in the 2014 Nature Valley First Tee Open at Pebble Beach, an official Champions Tour event that will be held September 26-28 and televised internationally on Golf Channel.

Brauburger will join 80 other participants from The First Tee chapters for the event, which is in its 11th year.

“Nature Valley is proud to be associated with this event, and thrilled to see these juniors get the call of a lifetime,” said Joe Ens, vice president of marketing at General Mills. “The First Tee is doing incredible work helping young people learn important life lessons like the Nine Core Values. We look forward to welcoming Hanna and the full junior field at this year’s tournament.”

Brauburger 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. More than 150 applications were submitted.

Champions Tour players committed to play include two-time Nature Valley First Tee Open winner and defending champion Kirk Triplett, Charles Schwab Cup contenders Jay Haas and Kenny Perry and a number of World Golf Hall of Fame members.

“Words just cannot describe how much this means to me,” Hanna Brauburger remarks. “All I can say is thank you, for all the people who believed that I could make it, and thank you to Nature Valley for sponsoring an event that gives these opportunities that wouldn’t be possible otherwise.” Brauburger 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. “Hanna is especially deserving of this opportunity as she has been in the program since the very beginning,” says Program Director, Brian Thomas. “She has gone from a participant, completed all certification levels of The First Tee and is now a First Tee coach and mentor.  I am very proud of Hanna and I know she will be a great representation of The First Tee and Northwest Arkansas.” TFTNWA is one of 177 chapters around the country and in select international locations. Serving Northwest Arkansas since 2005, more than 30,000 young people each year have been served through chapter programs and The First Tee National School Program, which is currently in 56 elementary schools throughout Northwest Arkansas. The 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 TFTNWA visit www.thefirstteeNWAr.org.  For more information on the 2014 Nature Valley First Tee Open, visit www.thefirstteeopen.com. For more information on Hanna, to request an interview or photos, please contact Elizabeth Prenger at [email protected] or (479) 419-5807.