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The First Tee of Northwest Arkansas is sending Ethan Loafman to compete in the 2018 PURE Insurance Championship Impacting The First Tee, an official PGA TOUR Champions event to be contested at Pebble Beach Golf Links and Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach, California, September 24-30. The tournament, which is hosted by the Monterey Peninsula Foundation, will be televised internationally on Golf Channel September 28-30.
The PURE Insurance Championship is the only event of its kind in which 81 junior golfers from The First Tee are teamed with 81 PGA TOUR Champions players and 162 amateurs during an official PGA TOUR Champions tournament. Loafman will be competing for the pro-junior title. He will join 80 other participants from The First Tee chapters, selected by a national panel of judges. The participants, which represent 22 states, were selected based on playing ability and application of the Nine Core Values and life skills learned through their involvement with The First Tee’s programs.
The junior field was announced Wednesday morning on Golf Channel’s Morning Drive. The show included surprises from PGA TOUR winner Jason Gore, Web.com Tour member Cameron Champ, Arizona State football coach Herm Edwards, Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais and Golf Channel’s Charlie Rymer.
“We are proud to be a part of such a prestigious event that supports so many deserving young men and women from The First Tee throughout the country,” said Katherine Frattarola, Chief Marketing Officer of the PURE Group of Insurance Companies. “They are what make this tournament so special, and it’s humbling to be a part of something that has such a profound impact on their lives both on and off the course.”
“We are proud of the junior golfers selected to play at this year’s PURE Insurance Championship,” said Keith Dawkins, Chief Executive Officer of The First Tee. “These 81 teens, and the event, embody The First Tee’s beliefs around the importance of fan engagement, diversity and inclusion and having a sense of civic responsibility that is expressed through our Nine Core Values.”
As of July 11, players committed to compete in the PURE Insurance Championship include defending champion and World Golf Hall of Fame member Bernhard Langer, as well as fellow World Golf Hall of Fame members Colin Montgomerie, Mark O’Meara and Sandy Lyle. Players have until Friday, September 21 to commit, with additional commitments to be announced in the coming months.
Ethan Loafman has been an active participant at The First Tee of Northwest Arkansas for four years and has achieved the highest level of certification, ACE. He was recently elected as the President of The First Tee NWA Junior Advisory Council and has helped the Council raise over $12,000 for the new indoor facility at The First Tee in Lowell. Loafman has also been a member of the Rogers High School golf team for the last three years. He will be a leader on the team in his senior season this fall. Ethan is community service minded and does a great job of making an impact in the NWA community through several service opportunities throughout the year.
“We are very excited to have another outstanding participant from The First Tee of Northwest Arkansas selected for the PURE Insurance Championship,” said Brian Thomas, Program Director. “Since The First Tee NWA was founded in 2005, we have had 6 participants selected and Ethan is a great addition to this list. He has been working towards this since he started in our program and this honor is much deserved.”
“It’s a dream come true for me because, ever since I moved here and I saw the picture of Hanna (a former The First Tee of NWA participant who was selected to compete at Pebble Beach in the past) in the back room at The First Tee NWA, I have wanted to get there myself,” said Ethan Loafman on being selected. “Working towards achieving this goal has been like climbing to the top of a mountain and now that I have reached the summit, it is great to see how all of my hard work has paid off.”
In this 15th tournament year, more than 870 kids from The First Tee have played in the tournament while learning from PGA TOUR Champions players and amateurs in the field, all while showcasing The First Tee’s Nine Core Values and the leadership and life skills they have acquired.
The First Tee of Northwest Arkansas is one of 150 chapters around the country and world introducing the sport of golf and The First Tee’s Nine Core Values to kids, positively impacting their lives. Serving Northwest Arkansas since 2005, more than hundreds of thousands of kids have been impacted through chapter programs and The First Tee National School Program, which is in more than 50 NWA elementary schools. The organization is engaging the next generation of fans, growing and diversifying the sport and positively impacting millions of kids along the way 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 Northwest Arkansas, visit www.thefirstteenorthwestarkansas.org/. For more information on the 2018 PURE Insurance Championship, visit www.pureinsurancechampionship.com. For more information on Ethan Laofman, to request an interview or photos, please contact Becca Godman, becca@thefirstteenwa.org, 901.428.2883.
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