First Tee — Tucson proudly sends threesome to Pebble Beach for ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ opportunity
"Are these pants too tight?"
Joey Bernier is a golfer, a punter and, today, a model.
For reasons that will become clear shortly, the senior from Salpointe Catholic High School is sporting slacks on this blisteringly hot Friday in Tucson. Valentin Ortiz, a junior at Salpointe, and Oliver De Guia, a junior at Catalina Foothills, soon will follow his lead.
These three golfers are part of a select group. They are representing the First Tee — Tucson at the PURE Insurance Championship Impacting First Tee . The event, which pairs PGA Tour Champions professionals with juniors from the First Tee program, takes place Friday-Sunday at two of the most iconic, breathtaking — and oftentimes chilly — golf courses in the world: Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill Golf Course.
Current conditions in Pebble Beach, California, as of this writing: 59 and cloudy.
So yeah, the Tucson trio will need pants. They'll need outerwear. That's what today is all about. They've come to First Tee headquarters at El Rio Golf Course to pick out and pick up their gear for the PURE Insurance Championship.
They'll snag polos, hats and hoodies. They'll get golf balls and black Ping golf bags with their names inscribed on them.
Two weeks later, they'll tee off with pros in a tournament televised by the Golf Channel.
How cool is that?
"I just can't wait to meet all the pros and the fellow participants," De Guia says.
"I can't wait to represent the First Tee and show out for Tucson," Ortiz says.
"I'm really excited to play these once-in-a-lifetime courses that most people just dream about," Bernier says.
This isn't the first time Tucson has been represented at the PURE Insurance Championship. The First Tee — Tucson sent two golfers last year: James Labukas of The Gregory School and Chase Pickering of Sabino. It sent two three years ago.
This is the first time Tucson has had three golfers make the cut. Eighty juniors in all are selected based on their playing ability as well as their "personal growth and life skills learned through First Tee's programs." This year's group has an average GPA of 3.89.
Seven other First Tee programs have three or more golfers in the field. Most represent cities with much larger populations than Tucson. They include Austin, Texas; Charlotte, North Carolina; Dallas; Houston; and New York.
Once again, in the world of youth sports, Tucson is punching above its weight class.
"We've had years where no one was picked," says Judy McDermott, executive director of the First Tee — Tucson . "To have three kids go is unprecedented for our chapter."
It's a testament to Tucson's enduring, thriving golf community. It's a testament to the First Tee's role in that community. It's a testament to McDermott's leadership and service. And it's a testament to the talent and character of Bernier, De Guia and Ortiz.
"First of all, they're great golfers," McDermott says. "But they've stayed involved with the First Tee program, and that's a big thing that we try to do with the teens — keep the kids involved."
Bernier, 18, is a busy young man. He's not only a golfer at Salpointe; he's the football team's punter and holder.
Bernier describes a typical day as follows: "I wake up, go to school, head straight to Randolph for golf practice, then go back to school for football practice. Get home late, eat dinner, go to bed, start all over again."
Bernier sees similarities between punting and golfing, especially when it comes to personal responsibility. If the snap is clean, it's on Bernier to do his job. Once he pulls a club out of his bag, it's up to him to execute the shot — and put it out of his mind if it doesn't go as planned.
"The mental aspect of it is extremely similar," says Bernier, who's playing with Tom Lehman in the PURE Insurance Championship. "Punting, I feel like, is really one of the few solo parts of football. And you're your own worst enemy most of the time.
"I feel like that translates a lot to golf. You're very independent. You're very isolated. If you have a bad hole, you need to get yourself out of it. (If) you have a bad punt, you gotta move on to the next (one). You gotta have a short memory."
While Bernier started taking golf seriously in eighth grade — coinciding with the COVID golf bump — De Guia has been playing in junior tournaments since he was 9 years old. The sport appeals to his competitive nature.
"At times it's very stressful, just because you can't really blame someone else for you not playing well," De Guia, 16, says. "But it's nice because it's just you out there and you have to take that accountability."
De Guia recalls being "so nervous" when he first started playing in junior tournaments. Now, he says, they feel "like second nature."
Playing in the PURE Insurance Championship might be different.
"Definitely there's going to be some nerves," says De Guia, who's paired with Retief Goosen. "But I think nerves are good. Because that means you care about it. You care about the opportunity."
Like his First Tee teammates, Ortiz finds golf to be the ideal outlet for his competitive side. It's become a lot more serious since he first held a club around 5 years old.
"I just went out with my dad and swung, not knowing what I was doing," says Ortiz, 16, who's playing with Jason Bohn. "But now, it's kind of life for me."
Ortiz wants to represent Tucson in the best way possible. It's a two-pronged mission: Play your sharpest golf and carry yourself with class.
The PURE Insurance Championship features three concurrent competitions: professional (individual best score), pro-junior team (team best ball) and amateur team (foursome net best ball).
Unlike most other PGA Tour Champions events, this one has a cut. Only the low 50 pros, low 24 pro-junior teams (12 male, 12 female) and low 10 amateur teams advance to Sunday.
Bernier, De Guia and Ortiz all want to win. But they understand that isn't the most important objective this week.
"You're supposed to be very composed out there," Ortiz says. "Representing the First Tee, you can't put them in a bad look. You have to make sure you're representing them (well) at all times."
"I feel like I'm representing a family, honestly," Bernier says. "When it comes to tournaments, yeah, you're competing with the other guys. But in the big picture, you're there to build relationships, build connections with people. You can meet a lot of remarkable people along the way and learn a lot of good life lessons."
Contact sports reporter/columnist Michael Lev at . On X(Twitter):
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