The First Tee of Phoenix is sending Jack Breidenbach, Taylor Harvey, Michelle Koo and Mika Miyata 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. This is only the second time in event history four participants were selected from the same chapter.

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. Breidenbach, Harvey, Koo and Miyata will be competing for the pro-junior title. They will join 77 other participants from The First Tee chapters, selected by a national panel of judges. The participants, representing 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.

Players committed to compete in the PURE Insurance Championship thus far 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.

Jack Breidenbach attends Chaparral High School in Phoenix, Arizona where he has been a member of The First Tee of Phoenix for nearly 7 years. He was awarded 2017 First Tee of Phoenix Male Player of the Year and won the 2018 PURE Insurance Putt-a-thon. Jack enjoys cooking, playing chess, watching sports and has aspirations to play Division 1 golf and study Finance.

Taylor Harvey is entering her senior year at Cactus Shadows High School in her hometown of Cave Creek, Arizona and has been a member of The First Tee of Phoenix for 8 years. Some First Tee highlights include caddying on the 16th Hole at the Waste Management Phoenix Open (WMPO), serving as an “On Course Reporter” at the 2016 WMPO Tournament and winning multiple junior girls division tournaments. In 2017, she was selected for the Par 3 National Championship in Richmond, Virginia and this year she will attend the John Deere Drive Your Future Academy and the Joe Louis Barrow Jr. Life Skills and Leadership Academy.  She attended the Andy Harvey Broadcast Journalism Workshop the last two summers in pursuit of her passion for Sports Broadcasting; her elected major as she works toward a collegiate career.

Michelle Koo is a Junior at BASIS Scottsdale, and has been part of the First Tee program for 9 years. As an Ace member, she participates in monthly golf tournaments and volunteers at various First Tee programming locations. In 2017, she attended three First Tee National Opportunities -- The Perfect Sense Unified Challenge, the Life Skills and Leadership Academy, and National Par 3 Championship. She was the champion of the 2017 First Tee of Phoenix Open Championship and was recognized as the First Tee of Phoenix Female Player of the Year. Along with her achievements in golf, Michelle excels in her rigorous academic program and as a member of her school’s National Honors Society and the president of her school’s Key Club. She values the importance of serving and giving back to her community and school.

Mika Miyata attends Desert Vista High School in Chandler, Arizona and has been involved with The First Tee of Phoenix for 4 years. She was selected to “Practice with the Pros” at the 2016 Waste Management Phoenix Open (WMPO) and served as an on course reporter at the 2017 WMPO. She was awarded a First Tee national opportunity at the USGA “Learning Science Through Golf” STEM Academy. She has made many good friends through The First Tee program and enjoys seeing them in monthly tournaments and at The First Tee of Phoenix’s annual Kloenne Cup Invitational. Her goal is to play collegiate golf and study Business Economics/Marketing.

“These kids have worked so hard to be selected to compete in this prestigious event,” said Kevin Terry, executive director of The First Tee of Phoenix. “To have one member from our chapter selected would be an incredible honor. To see four deserving young athletes get the chance to play one of the world’s best golf courses is truly remarkable. We couldn’t be more proud, and we wish the best of luck to all of them.”

To learn more about The First Tee of Phoenix visit www.TheFirstTeePhoenix.org. For more information on the 2018 PURE Insurance Championship, visit www.pureinsurancechampionship.com.