Meet Your First Tee of North Florida Junior Course Reporters:   Stephanie Pulido Eagle Level Participant   Day One - The Conferences and the Clinic “Have a great day!” We were told after we were dropped off by the media shuttle and stares were tossed at us. Somewhat out of place, we still managed to carry out the role of course reporters just as the media reporters do. On this sunny day of Wednesday, May 11th, 2016, we strolled up to THE PLAYERS and were given the opportunity to meet with none other than Jeff Adams himself, a retired employee of the PGA. He informed us that he had planned an itinerary for us to follow if we were interested, and we gladly accepted. First on the agenda was to meet and potentially interview first-time participants of the tournament. As we approached our first player, Harold Varner III, we met with Kevin Prise; A member of media production who would eventually accompany us for portions of the day. Being First Tee participants, Harold was once one as well. He informed us that he won the Nature Valley First Tee open when he was sixteen years old in 2001. In my opinion, this is the largest opportunity that is offered, and being that he won it was a major deal. He then went on to tell us that his initial thoughts of entering THE PLAYERS was the fact that there is a media crew on every corner since this is considered “the fifth major”. As we wished him good luck and said our final farewells, the junior course reporters and I made our way to the media center once again, but this time for a behind the scenes tour. The moment we entered, we opened the doors on the PGA of China and the PGA of Latin America setting up their cameramen for their broadcasts. We met with Craig Perks, the 2002 champion of THE PLAYERS and currently in media for the PGA Tour. Mr. Perks became a professional a few years after college. He had earned a degree in behavioral science, which oddly enough, he hasn’t used to this day. “I didn’t feel like I belonged.” He believed. At the time, he was 200th in the world when he obtained the champion title. Michael Baliker showed us around, as he would be the later mediator of Jordan Spieth’s press conference that we sat in on. Speaking of Jordan Spieth’s press conference, we made our way into the interview room a few minutes late and had to observe from the back of the room. Shockingly enough, many questions were about his performance at the Master’s, and will probably always be a sore topic. Half an hour later, Rory McIlroy entered for his one o’clock press conference, with whom we had the honor of meeting. With time creeping up quickly, we were only two hours away from a huge surprise. We boarded another shuttle once again, but were dropped off at another location; Sawgrass Country Club, which was where we would eventually see the 2015 Masters winner hosting a clinic for children with special needs and disabilities. I felt honored just to be selected as a course reporter, let alone participate in helping with the clinic. Jordan interacted with the children and had only one motive, to make them happy. This meant taking his practice time to prepare for tomorrow’s first round and selflessly give his time to others. Time continually flew as Jordan finished his clinic in what seemed to be a few minutes, but was close to an hour. As Jordan had to leave, his caddie Michael Greller stayed behind. I asked Mr. Greller if he had any influence on Jordan looking at the hole rather than the golf ball when he putts from five feet and in. He explained that when he had met Spieth, he had possessed the same habit as he does now. Every great day must be put to an end. As the day began to turn into night, we departed from the course and back to where the day began at the media shuttle. Tomorrow awaits us! Day Two - First Day of Tournament Play As tournament day began, I took it upon myself to watch Jordan Spieth, Jason Day, and Branden Grace tee off to kick start the day. My timing was perfect, as afterwards I met with our course reporting team and we grabbed breakfast. After our tummies were full we met with Tom Alter, who 99o8informed me of his broadcasting background with golf. He influenced my thoughts when he told us that when you have a passion for something, you must follow it. In life, we must do what makes us happy and find a career that we will thrive with. He then went on to tell us that he wakes up every morning looking forward to his job, since he travels quite often with the players and has the opportunity to see the world. Similar to his job, we have Colin Murray; A scoring official for the PGA Tour. When we entered the scoring room inside the broadcasting complex, we were greeted by Mr. Murray inside an empty tower. His job is to make sure that every group is on time so that they may complete their round to comply with the television show times. If these players are not on time, they will be penalized. To put this in our perspective, he used statistics to greaten our understanding. Speaking hypothetically, if one player is penalized ten times for one year, they will be fined $20,000. Though one fine may seem harmless, it can quickly add up for players who are less notable. A question was asked if he gets star struck after coming into contact with these players nearly every week. He answered that he sees them so much that he sees them as coworkers and they communicate with each other on a friendly basis. However, we all have that one person that always has us star struck. For Colin Murray, he views these people as Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. Both Tiger and Phil were members of the PGA Tour before Colin was in the PGA as a scorecard official. At least with upcoming players, Mr. Murray has the experience and has been in this job before they entered the tour. He afterwards informed us that this building is isolated all year round. When we heard word of this, we decided to walk upstairs and explore where interviews are recorded. When we walked upstairs we were in awe at the sight of the broadcasting set overlooking the clubhouse. Flashing back to previous interviews at this very tournament, I recognized the background as to what I see on television and what it actually looks like in person. It was truly eye-opening to witness this set firsthand. We made our way down after the broadcasting tour and waited for the morning tee times to roll in after their round. I decided to interview Ian Poulter, who was three under par for his first round play. Once he was flagged down, I proceeded to ask my questions. “If you could describe your round in one word, what would that word be?” He then answered, “Acceptable.” Honestly baffled at the choice of this word, I asked a follow up question of his reasoning for choosing this term. He then responded that he did not play great, but he did not play badly. Hence, it was acceptable. Granted, he was signing autographs and was more focused on completing this task. I asked about his inspiration for his clothing line, curious about his unique style. With a stern look on his face, he answered, “I want to look good.” With nothing more than a chuckle from me, I thanked him for his time and left him to finish what he had begun. At this point, the day was once again coming to a close. The afternoon tee times were about to go off and the morning players were rolling in. We thanked Mr. Adams for everything he had done in arranging the activities throughout the day for us. I was greatly appreciative of his help in making our course reporting experience one to remember forever. Until next year!   Janie Grace Wang Eagle Level Participant   Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Today began unlike any other I’ve had. This was definitely one I will never forget!  This unforgettable day started with an early morning chat with Harold Varner III.  Mr. Varner talked with us (Junior Course Reporters) about his life leading up to participating in The PLAYERS.  During high school, he volunteered with The First Tee in his hometown.  He won the Walmart First Tee Open (now The Nature Valley Open), which he played with PGA Champions Tour; Morris Hatalsky.  2016 is his first opportunity at The PLAYERS.

Soon after the interview, on a whim, I started a conversation with Mark Snover, the sports reporter on duty during today’s press conferences.  He talked to me about the machines (called Diamantes) used to type fast during interviews.  I wish I could use one right now to finish up this blog as it is late!  To be certified as a court reporter (Mark’s actual job), you must be capable of typing a minimum of 225 words per minute.  I don’t even think I can talk that fast (though others might disagree).  If you are looking for a career that gives you the ability to travel and can type extremely fast, then sports reporting is the job for you.  Speaking of traveling, Mark has covered sporting events in 36 of our 50 states.

Have you noticed those people sitting next to the players during press conferences? They are moderators.  I had the chance to meet one of them today.  Michael Baliker shared with us how he came to be in the position he currently holds.  After several years of internships, meeting the right people, and making good connections he landed the job! I’d love the job of hanging out with the players at press conferences.  Side note: after Bernhard Langer’s press conference concluded, the interview room was empty.  Soooo, we hung out in those “famous” grilling-the-players chairs.  Of course we got lots of pics.

Next, we talked with 2002 PLAYERS winner Craig Perks.  Now let me just say, Mr. Perks accent was amazing! This New Zealander now works for NBC/Golf Channel on air and as a writer.  Given his past experience at our wonderful course, he is more passionate about The PLAYERS while on air.  He was ranked 200^th best golfer in the world, won TPC, and is now a golf journalist.  That’s quite a career!

After lunch, we briefly interviewed Rory McIlroy.  I’ll admit, we were not the most professional, but come on, who would be??

In the afternoon, we enjoyed the All Star Special Needs Clinic run by Paul Tesori and his wife Michele.  These are two amazing people who have turned a difficult situation into a blessing for so many people. I could use my 500 words telling you about this event alone.  Paul is Webb Simpson’s caddie and Michele runs several foundations; including their own, which began due to their son being born with down-syndrome.  At today’s All Star event, 25 lovely children participated at putting, chipping, and driving stations; having a blast the entire time!

I believe the highlight of my day was meeting a man named DJ Gregory.  Mr. Gregory started the foundation Walking For Kids.  His foundation donates over $100,000 every year to children with special needs.  During most PGA Tour tournaments, a player donates to this charity and DJ gets walks with him during his rounds.  Let me just say, it is a bit harder for him to walk that the rest of us.  This week, Ben Martin is the gracious donator.  Over the years, he has walked with winning players such as Ben Crane, Hunter Mahon, Zack Johnson, Rickie Fowler, and Jason Day.  Before his foundation, Mr. Gregory wrote blogs for the PGA Tour, was written up by ESPN, and wrote a book entitled “Walking With Friends”.

In conclusion, today has been an unforgettable day with many amazing opportunities. I thank The First Tee for allowing me this privilege and I cannot wait to see what tomorrow has in store.

  Thursday, May 12, 2016

During junior course reporting today, I had the privilege of speaking with some interesting people. I can’t think of a better way to spend a beautiful day than out at The PLAYERS. Today we arrived at the media center and had some breakfast. Afterwards, we spoke with Tom Alter. Mr. Alter is on staff at the PGA Tour in communications. His job is a liaison for networks such as ESPN and The Golf Channel. He told us broadcasting golf is different than broadcasting any other sport because there are so many balls in play at once. The producers have to choose which shots to air and which shots to cut. Plus, there are no breaks of halftimes. There is constant motion on the course. Tom Alter told us “Don’t be afraid to take on a challenge that you are no sure you can conquer”. He also gave us some wise words of wisdom in saying, “failure to prepare is preparing to fail.

Afterward, Mr. Collin Murray spoke to us for a while. Mr. Murray works for the PGA Tour as a scoring official in the competition department. Fun fact: the allotted time par for an 18 home threesome is four hours and thirty-seven minutes. What an exact number. No lollygagging allowed. Altogether, there are eight rules officials covering a few holes each. I had the chance to see one of those rules official in action when Adam Scott had that devastating eighteenth hole. He was on the cart path 60 yards past the hole and had to get the ball up over the hill. By the way, keep up the pace of play, because if you are on the PGA Tour and are clocked ten times in one year, there is a $20,000 fine. No small sum to throw away. One of Mr. Murray’s most important jobs is making sure each player’s scorecard is correctly filled out and signed. As soon as the player’s round ends and he walks off the green, the scoring official is the first person they see. There are some instances where the player’s scorecard has some discrepancy and there is a debate as to what his actual score is. In his office. With him right there. With caddies and markers and a room full of people. I imaging it can get quite hectic. I had the chance to see him in action later in the day. Luckily, I was not in the room during an interesting situation. Because media is not allowed to ask questions inside the scoring house, many players like to hang out and decompress in the scoring house a bit before walking outside to the army of reporters. Sometimes even letting off steam by way of venting. Most times to the listening ears the scoring officials. Again. Awkward!

Following talking with Mr. Murray and sitting in one of the broadcasting booths on the second floor of the scoring house (minor injuries may or may not have occurred), we sat on the third hole and actually watched some golf for the first time this week. No rest for the weary though as we used that time to plan questions for our upcoming interviews. At the conclusion of his round, I interviewed Bernhard Langer. I had some questions specifically for him concerning his involvement with FCA and the weekly bible studies on tour. He shared with me that every Tuesday or Wednesday night a chaplain comes and leads the group. They occasionally have music and some give testimonies. Someday I would like to attend one of these bible studies.

I realize that very few people have had this opportunity and I would like to thank The First Tee for giving me this privilege. This has been an amazing, jam-packed week.

Reni Janscik Birdie Level Participant   First Day Behind The Ropes At The Players The First Tee of North Florida had five representatives that got a wonderful opportunity to interview players, rules officials, caddies, journalists, and more important people out at The Players. I was one of them. Everyone was focusing hard on their practice round so they will be ready for the first tournament day tomorrow. We started our journey off by interviewing PGA professional Harold Varner III. He was born in Akron, Ohio and has volunteered in First Tee events. He also won a First Tee event in 2007, at Nature Valley Open at Pebble Beach. Even with him traveling around the world, he claims that he can sleep anywhere and has never had a problem with jet leg. Our next guest that we got to interview is The Players 2002 champion, Craig Perks. He was on the tour for fifteen years before he retired. After he retired he still stayed behind the ropes and started working with the media. He explains that his experience on the tour allows easier talking on air with other players. In 2002, he had the record for the best finish; having three chip-in’s on the last three holes. That was the best finish till Rickie Fowler got his birdie, eagle, birdie, birdie on the last four holes, allowing him to go into a playoff and win the 2015 Players Championship. It was interesting to see Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy’s press conference live. When Rory finished with the media, we were able to ask him a few questions. He started golfing at the age of two. The famous hole number seventeen usually gets players heart beat pumping, but for Rory, the tee shot on hole number fourteen makes him uneasy as well. He stated that the drive on that hole could define if you score well on the hole or not. After getting the amazing chance to interview Rory Mcllroy, we headed over to the All Star Kids Clinic that is supported by the Tesori Family Foundation, and is being held by Paul Tesori and his wife. The clinic introduced golf to many kids who have disabilities. Jordan Spieth and Blake Bortles came out and supported the event. After Jordan gave us a demonstration of the five shots of golf, we got to interview his caddy, Michael Greller. He was a schoolteacher for ten years, teaching all subjects for five years, and then teaching Math and Science for 6^th graders for another five years. He sometimes went out to Augusta National and caddied for people for some extra pocket money. He met Jordan there, and has been caddying him since he was seventeen years. Outside the field, Michael Greller and Jordan Spieth are very competitive against each other, playing games like Ping-Pong. Today we got to see what goes on at The Players out on the field, as well as behind the stage. Second Day Behind The Ropes At The Players I was awake earlier than my alarm clock and I was excitedly getting ready for the second day We started off the day talking to Tom Alter about how hard it really is to be a producer for the golf channel. On the golf field there are at least fifty balls in the air at a time, and the producers must pick one to follow and to record on, with cameras everywhere on the field. When there is recording on TV, the produces don’t take any breaks. During commercial breaks, they make the most of the small time they have to edit before they go back on air. After our interview with Mr. Tom, we got an amazing chance to interview Mr. Colin, part of the rules committee at The Players. His job in the rules committee is being a scorecard official, and today he was with the players that started off of hole number ten. He explained to us that he gets a lot of face time with the players, and he is there to help them. He catches players while they are walking out if they signed something wrong, which could cost them the game if he weren’t there to help them. If players sign a scorecard that has a number less than what they actually got, they get disqualified. If they sign a scorecard that has a higher number that what they got, they don’t get any penalty except for the fact that they need to keep the score they put in. No trouble can happen with scoring while the players are in the scoring house. While they are still in the scoring house, they can get called back to change a number or to discuss a ruling. Two feet out the door and the card stays as it was left, except if the players calls that he is going to get something from his bag. Most players after bad rounds stay in the scoring room, because it is the most private as it could get and it allows them to cool off before going out back to the spotlight. After that, we each got to pick a player that we wanted to interview, and I chose Aaron Baddeley. He explained to me that he doesn’t mind playing in dry air or in humid air, that he is fifty-fifty. He lives in Arizona where there is often dry air, so he is used to playing in dry air the most, but he also enjoys playing in more humid places like Florida as well. He states that his favorite hole on the golf course is hole number sixteen, because it is the hole that allows the biggest chance for an eagle. Last but not least, He told me that hole number eighteen’s tee shot makes him the most nervous, because of the tight fairway. I really enjoyed working for The First Tee this year and I hope I get this wonderful opportunity next year also! Megan Witucki Par Level Participant   The Players – It’s more than just a golf tournament - Day 1 When you think of The Players Championship, you think of one of the biggest golf tournaments in the world. More than 150,000 people attend to watch the 140 plus famous golfers competing for the trophy.  It may seem like just a golf tournament at first, but once you are able to have the experience that I had, you see so much more than just golf.  We started the day off by meeting up with Jeff Adams, a University of Florida graduate with a degree in journalism and public relations.  Jeff showed us around and introduced us to a lot of important people at The Players.  We met one of the first time golfers at The Players, Harold Varner III.  Harold was the winner of the Walmart First Tee open in 2007.  During our interview, we learned that he started playing golf at the age of 10 and his father is a person Harold looks up to the most.  Like many of us, his dad was the one who influenced him to start golfing.  After we were done talking to Harold we went and ate lunch with Kevin Prise, a journalist /producer who worked on the Web.com tour.  After lunch, we attended a couple of press conferences with 2 of the major names in golf, Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy. Later that day after the practice round was over, Jordan Spieth was a part of the Tesori Foundation event at Sawgrass Country Club.  This was a private event for children with special needs.  While everyone watches the golfers at the course and on TV, most do not see the extra effort they put in to make others’ days a little bit brighter.  While we did not get a chance to talk with Jordan, we were able to talk to Jordan’s caddy and some of the kids’ parents.  When we were talking to Michael Greller, Jordan’s caddy, he said he has been caddying for him since Jordan was 17 and his best club is the putter.  After we finished with Michael, I went up to the clubhouse to talk to the parents of the children who participated in the fundraiser.  When I asked them if they think their child enjoys golfing they responded with, “my child loves it but there is one part that is difficult for them, the waiting”.  Many said that their kids teach them new things every day and it shows them life in a different perspective.  One quote that will stick with me from this event is “different is not less.”  Even if you are different, that does not mean that you can’t do the same things as everyone else.  Seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces was definitely better than seeing a birdie. The Players – It’s more than just a golf tournament - Day The second day turned out to be just as interesting as the first.  Our day started with meeting Tom Alter, an executive with the PGA Tour.  We learned about the production of a golf tournament.  He explained about live shots, commercial breaks, and all of the communication that occurs during the telecast.  I will definitely be thinking about this when I watch the tournament on TV this week. Another interesting person we met was Colin Murray.  Colin is one of the first people the golfers see when they are done golfing.  Colin adds the players’ scores up and confirms the round with the official scorecard for each player.  Obviously, he has to be good at math and definitely must double check his work while working fast.  He doesn’t see just the highs and lows for scores, but the range of emotions that players have about their round. Colin played golf in college and previously worked for the Carolina Panthers.  After that, we were able to see one of the areas for player interviews.  It was different than the media room because it was a set with chairs, cameras and Teleprompters.  It was great to be able to see some of the behind the scenes areas. The last experience we had was the opportunity to interview a player.  I interviewed Matthew Fitzpatrick because he is the youngest golfer in the tournament this year.  He started golfing when he was 9 and was also influenced by his father.  He played soccer when he was younger, but gave it up when it became too demanding during his teen years.  He started to focus more on golf.  His favorite golfer is Tiger Woods because that is who he grew up watching on TV.  He is from the United Kingdom and is really excited to participate in his first Players. While I have seen tournaments on television, I had no idea how much goes on behind the scenes.  This was a great experience that I will never forget.  Without The First Tee of North Florida, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity see all of the other activities besides the golfing. Jack Lunitz Par Level Participant Wednesday, May 11, 2016 Today at the TPC me and four other junior course reporters had a great time interviewing players, watching golf and having fun. We started the day by taking a shuttle to the media drop off and went to meet Jeff Adams. After we met him we went to interview Harold Varner. He recently moved down to Jax Beach from North Carolina, the Ohio native is predicting that Andy Sullivan will be getting 2^nd place, behind him of course. He says that his main role model would be his dad, who taught him to play golf at an older age, because he used to play basketball. When Harold left we were able to take pictures with the trophy for the TPC. After taking pictures with the trophy we went to the media center and sat at the desk where the players sit for press conferences. Then we ate lunch, and came back to the conference room to watch Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy, who each made a main point. Jordan said that he has put the Masters behind him and Rory says he wants to improve his game on the front nine this tournament. Later we went to the All-star kid’s clinic, a clinic for special needs children where they can go out and play golf. We were opened by Paul Tesori who thanked all the sponsors and everyone else who made the clinic possible. Then Jordan Spieth came in and hit a few shots and helped the kids a little. Once the clinic started we were able to interview Michael Greller (Spieth’s caddy) he said that Jordan was hoping to finish 14 under overall at the TPC. This is Michael’s fifth year caddying for Jordan, before this he was a math and science teacher. The final thing we did today was interview Paul Tesori the leader of the All-star kid’s clinic. Paul is the father of two kids one of which has down syndrome, which has inspired him to keep the foundation going. Last year alone his foundation raised over $75,000 for down syndrome research. Because he donates all the money he raises Paul also caddies in the PGA tour. I would like to thank The First Tee for making this experience possible, along with the PGA tour, Brian Day, and Jeff Adams. This is Jack Lunitz First Tee junior course reporter signing off… until tomorrow. Thursday, May 12, 2016 Today at the TPC we started by meeting Tom Alter, a golf reporter who told us about becoming a reporter. After this we talked to Colin Murray the #18 scorer for the players. This is his fourth year working for the rules committee and being a scorer for the PGA tour. He describes himself as a “safety net” for players because he can save the players from being disqualified. We then got to check out the news room for NBC and The Golf Channel, and sit in the chairs. After lunch I got to ask Chris Kirk, a University of Georgia graduate, about what he thought of the new football coach hire at UGA. He said he was excited about the hire and could see a championship in the near future. We had run out of time to do anything else, but we did have time to get autographs, we saw Phil Mickelson, Jason Day, Jordan Spite, Ian Poulter, and many more golfers. All in all this was a great experience for me, I loved these past two days, and want to thank the First Tee, Jeff Adams, the PGA Tour, and Brain Day for making this all possible. This is Jack Lunitz First Tee junior reporter signing off.