St. Joseph’s own Ryan Guzzo will represent the First Tee of Benton Harbor by competing in the 2019 PURE Insurance Championship Impacting The First Tee.
The tournament is an official PGA TOUR Champions event held at Pebble Beach Golf Links and Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach, California, September 24-29. The 16th annual event, hosted by the Monterey Peninsula Foundation, will air internationally on Golf Channel.
“I feel a little bit surprised to be accepted into the PURE Insurance Championship,” said Guzzo. “But I am extremely glad to be given this opportunity. I am beyond excited to have the chance to experience California and have the chance to make more connections with people around the country.”
Guzzo has been a participant at The First Tee of Benton Harbor for nine years, and volunteers with the younger classes throughout the week. Guzzo also participates in various community service projects through St. Joseph High School and the A.P. Leadership program.
The PURE Insurance Championship Impacting The First Tee pairs up 78 First Tee teenagers from across the country with 78 PGA TOUR Champions players and 156 amateurs during an official PGA TOUR Champions tournament. Guzzo will compete for the Pro-Junior Team title. Participants were selected by a national panel of judges based on their playing ability, along with their understanding and application of the values and life skills learned through First Tee’s programs.
This year’s field of professionals will include World Golf Hall of Fame Members Bernhard Langer, Mark O’Meara, Vijay Singh and Retief Goosen, as well as defending champion and recent KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship winner Ken Tanigawa.
Play will be conducted on Pebble Beach Golf Links and Poppy Hills Golf Course on Friday and Saturday, with the final round held at Pebble Beach Golf Links on Sunday, where 23 First Tee juniors will compete based on their 36-hole performance. The tournament will crown one male and one female First Tee Junior Champion.
“We are proud to continue our involvement with this prestigious event and help support the great work of the Monterey Peninsula Foundation and First Tee,” said Katherine Frattarola, Chief Marketing Officer of the PURE Group of Insurance Companies. “The impact this event has on the incredible young men and women from the First Tee makes this sponsorship tremendously rewarding for our entire team.”
The PURE Insurance Championship has given nearly 1,000 teens from First Tee the opportunity to meet, play with and learn from amateurs and PGA Tour Champions players.
