Out of School, Inside the Ropes

(From left) Kendel Abrams, Tom Watson, Wesley Brown and Khalil Abrams stop for a photo after the trio interviewed the Champions Tour veteran.
PGA TOUR

October 8, 2010

By PGA TOUR Staff

BETHESDA, Md.—Champions Tour players at this week’s Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm may notice some unusual things about a few members of the media: They may be a few feet shorter than normal, they might be sporting braces on their teeth and they could possibly even and giggle during interviews.

They are junior course reporters, invited to the tournament as the special guests of the PGA TOUR and The First Tee—a non-profit initiative of the World Golf Foundation that promotes character building among young people through golf.

As part of The First Tee Course Reporters Program, young people are selected from among First Tee chapter applicants around the country to serve as members of the media for two days during a tournament.

Participants are selected on the basis of their academic achievement, golf experience and proven success in incorporating The First Tee values into their everyday lives.

Once on-site, junior course reporters have the unique opportunity to experience the tournament from inside-the-ropes, with visits to the media center, rules officials’ trailer, the ShotLink scoring center, Golf Channel production truck, fitness trailers and other areas normally reserved for media and tournament officials. The reporters also have access to press conferences and player interviews. Each day, the junior course reporters blog about their experiences on pgatour.com.

Participating in the program at this week’s Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship are:

Khalil Abrams, a freshman at Susquehannock High in Glen Rock, Pa., Abrams is on the honor roll, competes in golf as well as football, basketball and tennis, and works at Caves Valley Golf Club.

Kendel Abrams, a fifth-grader at Southern Elementary in Glen Rock, Pa., who is on the honor roll, has won a number of junior golf championships in the Baltimore area and plays fullback on her U12 travel soccer team.

Wesley Brown, 14, is a freshman at Marriotts Ridge High School in Marriottsville, Md., who plays on the golf team, has been part of The First Tee program for eight years and aspires to become a sports journalist reporting on golf.

Wearing their official PGA TOUR media credentials, on Wednesday Khalil Abrams, Kendel Abrams and Brown had the opportunity to attend press conferences with Fred Couples, Fred Funk and Tom Watson, where they asked questions and took photos with the players. They also had the chance to interview PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem and Championship Management Executive Vice President David Pillsbury and speak with reporters about their experiences covering TOUR tournaments and interviewing players. The trio also visited with a variety of TOUR officials, including meteorologists, operations managers, and scoring officials. One of the group’s favorite activities was touring the Birdies for the Brave Patriots’ Outpost military hospitality chalet.

The experience proved to be more than the junior course reporters could have hoped for during their two days on the job and will undoubtedly create lasting memories they will share with family, friends and teachers. To see what the three wrote this week, click here