Local Teens Selected to Play in Nature Valley First Tee Open at Pebble Beach

The First Tee of Greater Pasadena is sending Leila Dizon and Mason Chiu to compete in the 2015 Nature Valley First Tee Open at Pebble Beach, an official Champions Tour event that will be held September 25-27 and televised internationally on Golf Channel. This marks the third time in four years that students from The First Tee of Greater Pasadena chapter have qualified for this event.

Dizon and Chiu will join 80 other participants from The First Tee chapters for the event, which is in its 12th year.

“At Nature Valley we have great admiration for the mission of The First Tee. The program has such a meaningful

impact in the lives of young people by strengthening important values like responsibility, judgement and perseverance. The opportunity for these teenagers to be selected as a part of The First Tee has the power to transform lives,” said Carla Vernón at General Mills. “The teenagers selected to play in the Nature Valley First Tee Open, including Dizon and Chiu have worked hard to prepare for this opportunity, and we are immensely proud to welcome them to this year’s tournament.”

Dion and Chiu were 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.

Champions Tour players committed to play include last year’s Nature Valley First Tee Open winner John Cook, Charles Schwab Cup contender and World Golf Hall of Fame member Colin Montgomerie, as well as two-time U.S. Open winner Lee Janzen. Janzen claimed the pro-junior competition last year when his junior partner, Christopher Meyers from The First Tee of Tucson, holed a 4-iron from the fairway for a final-hole albatross to secure the title.

Leila Dizon has been playing golf for 7 years and has been a member of the First Tee of Greater Pasadena for 7 years. Leila currently attends Marlborough School in Los Angeles, California. Besides golf, Leila enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.

Dizon and Chiu 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.

“I am extremely excited and proud to be representing the First Tee of Greater Pasadena at Pebble Beach,” said Leila Dizon, “I have worked very hard for this once in a lifetime opportunity. Playing Pebble Beach is a dream come true for me, and the location has great sentimental value since it was one of the last places my grandfather and I visited together before he passed away. I cannot wait.

“Having the opportunity to participate in the Nature Valley First Tee Open and representing the First Tee of Greater Pasadena is an honor and a very big responsibility. During this tournament, I will showcase my golf and speaking abilities to my fullest potential- all of which were wonderfully taught to me by the fantastic coaches in the First Tee.”

The First Tee of Greater Pasadena is one of 175 chapters around the country and in select international locations. Serving Greater Pasadena since 2006, more than 44,000 young people have been impacted through chapter programs and The First Tee National School Program. The golf-based 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 The First Tee of Greater Pasadena, visit www.thefirstteegreaterpasadena.org. For more information on the 2015 Nature Valley First Tee Open, visit www.thefirstteeopen.com. For more information on Leila Dizon and Mason Chiu, to request an interview or photos, please contact Mark Fritz at mark@mfritzthefirstteepasadena.com or (626) 543-4708.

About The First Tee of Greater Pasadena

The First Tee of Greater Pasadena is a Chapter of The First Tee and operates from the Brookside Golf Club, a 36-hole municipal golf facility located adjacent to the world-famous Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Additional facilities are located at the Alhambra Golf Course, Altadena Golf Course, Arroyo Seco Golf Course, Eaton Canyon Golf Course and Glen Oaks Golf and Learning Center, Glendora Country Club and Marshall Canyon Golf Course. The chapter holds golf programs directed towards youth ages 5 to 17, and aims at impacting young people’s lives by employing the game of golf while providing educational programs on: 1) character building, 2) instilling life-enhancing values, and 3) promoting healthy choices.