SEWARD PARK - Kristin Tan, a Seward Park resident and participant in The First Tee of Greater Seattle since 2003 when local programming began, will be the chapter's first representative at the Wal-Mart First Tee Open. The 14-year-old is one of only 60 young people - and one of only 20 girls - from across The First Tee network who qualified for the opportunity to compete at Pebble Beach, Calif., during the Labor Day weekend. Since its inception in 1997, The First Tee has introduced the game of golf to more than 1.5 million participants and students in 46 states and five countries including Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and Singapore.
Tan will be a sophomore at Seattle's Holy Names Academy. She advanced to the fourth annual First Tee Open as a result of her outstanding performance during The First Tee participant selection process at Kansas State University and Colbert Hills Golf Course.
The golf proficiency component accounted for 30 percent of the score. Tan shot 82 on both days of the golf competition at Colbert Hills, which Golf Week magazine rates as 47th toughest in the country. In addition to a series of interviews and a written test, Tan submitted an essay describing the impact of The First Tee on her life. Two girls notched better golf scores, but did not make the cut because of weak scores on the other components, according to Cathy Wagner, West Region manager of The First Tee and one of this year's judges.
"I remember when we were starting the chapter in Seattle one of the first people who called regarding the program was Kristin's dad," Wagner recalled, and added that he wanted to get his daughter involved in a program to help her overcome her shyness. "It was great to be at the event in Kansas and see the joy in Kristin's face when her name was announced."
Tan, who started golfing when she was 7, describes her selection as a dream come true. While at the qualifying event in Kansas, she became good friends with both girls from The First Tee of Singapore and vowed they will be friends for life.
The Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach is an official Champions Tour tournament that pairs 78 junior golfers with 78 professionals and 156 amateurs. The tournament takes place Aug. 27- Sept. 2, 2007 on Pebble Beach Golf Links and Del Monte Golf Course, and will be televised nationally on The Golf Channel.
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