Sara Diaz is Changing the Way the PGA TOUR Relates to its Multicultural Fan Base

By Sara Wright, Guest blogger, PGA TOUR When the First Tee of Greater San Antonio first put clubs in the hands of the Diaz family about 15 years ago, there was no way to predict just how much the game would impact the family’s life. Sara, the eldest of three children, her brother Adolfo, the middle sibling, and the youngest, Elsa, all learned to play golf with their dad through the program, but in the case of the Diaz siblings, their time with First Tee provided so much more. While Sara was born in the U.S., she and her family moved to her mother’s native Mexico to grow up learning Spanish. About a decade later, the family returned to the U.S., with Sara, Adolfo and Elsa then needing to re-learn English. That’s where the First Tee program came in, allowing the siblings to not just learn the sport of golf, but perhaps more importantly to practice their English in a fun and supportive environment. Of course, Sara learned a lot more than that during her time in the First Tee program. She also learned important character development, goal setting, fundraising techniques, public speaking, essay writing and confidence to travel on her own. When Sara qualified in 2008 for the prestigious Wal-Mart First Tee Open in Pebble Beach, the program’s top national opportunity, she was extremely lucky to have been paired with the legendary Tom Watson.  If that wasn’t exciting enough, she was featured on the Golf Channel during the tournament and was awarded the Oroweat Healthy Minds Scholarship during a surprise press conference. She recalls that week as ‘truly unbelievable.’ In 2010, Sara was selected to be a junior reporter at the WGC-CA Championship in Doral, FL, where she worked for the first time inside of the PGA TOUR’s media center. Later in the fall, she was chosen to go to Walt Disney World in Orlando for a Future Leaders Forum. That same year, she was given another incredible opportunity to participate in a commercial with the great Jack Nicklaus for the Royal Bank of Scotland in Jupiter, FL., where she snuck in a putting lesson from the greatest golfer of all time. After she graduated from the First Tee program as the first participant in the San Antonio chapter to complete the Ace-level certification, her opportunities with golf continued. Initially recruited to play golf at Texas A&M-Commerce, Sara progressed to the University of Richmond Division I program where she was offered a full scholarship for her Master’s degree and the opportunity compete alongside her younger sister in 2014.  Needless to say, the Diaz sisters had a blast playing together – albeit for just a year – on the same team. In 2017, she was asked to return as an alumnus to her favorite place, Pebble Beach, and share her experiences as a speaker for The First Tee Pure Insurance Legends and Leaders Dinner alongside Condoleezza Rice and Leon Panetta. Even though Sara knew this sport would always play a huge part in her life, what she didn’t realize at the time, was that all of these experiences were preparing her for this current role at the PGA TOUR, where she now manages their multicultural marketing strategy. Hired in March 2019, she excels in positioning the TOUR brand in unexpected places and has helped produce and distribute content through a variety of different channels allowing golf to be portrayed in a new light to a larger demographic. Sara helped in the success of the TOUR’s recently-launched Spanish Instagram page, @pgatouresp, where she hosted the eSeries Video Game Challenge in Spanish to show the behind-the-scenes of what goes on during the recording and reveal the personalities of our players in a casual setting. Sara also had a huge part in adding to the new PGA TOUR and First Tee’s co-sponsored site, Links to Learning. With her help, this site, which was established shortly after schools closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic and aims to provide golf-centric educational material into homes, added a section for youth to learn Spanish and additionally, she worked with a team to translate the whole site to Spanish – https://www.pgatour.com/academia.html. Most recently, Sara also had the honor of interviewing the Commissioner of the PGA TOUR, Jay Monahan and Harold Varner III on the return to golf and the current social injustice in our country. Check it out here: https://www.pgatour.com/video/2020/06/05/a-thoughtful-conversation-with-commissioner-monahan-and-varner-i.html “Because of golf, I have met wonderful people from all walks of life and have opened my eyes to different lifestyles and perspectives,” she said. “I feel extremely lucky and appreciative of all the experiences the sport has provided me. I have been honored to help create awareness, address misconceptions and curate the onsite tournament experience so people from all ages, races and backgrounds can feel welcome and enjoy the sport that has been such a big part of my life. My goal is to have multicultural initiatives interwoven into everything we do at the PGA TOUR,” Sara added. “I’m very excited for the future of this organization and how we can continue to connect with ALL of our fans!”

Alumni Spotlight: A Foundation of Values

Our character education programs aim to put youth on a path for success. First Tee Alumni continue to demonstrate this long-lasting impact by sharing their success stories. Owais Durrani is one such alum from First Tee of Greater Houston. Owais uncovered his self-confidence through First Tee and is now making a difference in his community.

Owais’ Story:

When Owais Durrani slips on his white doctor’s coat, he stands ready to help treat whatever illness or injury walks through the emergency room doors at UT Health in San Antonio. Currently finishing up his residency, Owais has quickly learned his profession is one that demands a lot – self-confidence, determination and resilience – characteristics he’s been building on since his time at First Tee.

“Life gets difficult and complex at times, but even the most challenging of circumstances boils down to a few basic principles – many of them included in First Tee’s values.”


During his time at First Tee of Greater Houston, Owais developed an interest in social issues and says First Tee gave him the confidence to pursue opportunities that he once didn’t see possible for himself as a first-generation American. Owais received his dual-Bachelor’s degree in Biology and Political Science from the University of Texas. He took his passion up a notch by attending medical school. In his gap year, Owais interned at the White House under the Obama administration. He remained dedicated to learning about how to address health disparities, one of his life’s greatest passions. Confident in his foundation, Owais is excited about his future giving back to underserved communities.

Alumni Sightings: PGA Merchandise Show

We like to think of our First Tee alumni network as a big family. Last month, we had the opportunity to have a mini reunion where we reconnected with several alumni during the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Florida hearing more about where their journeys have landed them. With 81% of teens saying First Tee contributed to their personal transformation, these young adults represent the many alumni across the country and globe who are using the life skills they learned in the program to live out their dreams.

Paloma Santiago, First Tee of Greater Trenton

Paloma grew up in the New Jersey area, participating with the First Tee of Greater Trenton. She has continued to serve within the golf industry. After graduating from Methodist University and becoming a certified PGA Golf Professional, Paloma began serving as a Head Golf Professional in the New Jersey PGA section. Since 2017, Paloma has been the President of a non-profit golf organization she started called Live Golf. This non-profit is dedicated to supporting the community by exposing the game of golf, its values and opportunities primarily to youth and military in the community.

     

Jasmin Cunningham, First Tee of Metro Atlanta

Jasmin hasn’t strayed far from her roots at First Tee of Metro Atlanta. A Professional Golf Management graduate from University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Jasmin is now a Training & Curriculum Coordinator at First Tee headquarters. During her visit at the PGA Merchandise Show, Jasmin spent her time networking with PGA WORKS fellows. She also attended the We Are Golf  Diversity Roundtable Discussion, taking a deeper dive into the world of golf for minorities. They held discussions about how the industry can improve, providing unique perspectives on the topic.

     

Gavin Hogan, First Tee of Fort Worth

During Gavin’s time at First Tee of Fort Worth, he was an extremely active member. Hogan earned his ACE certification, the highest level a participant can achieve with First Tee. He also competed in the PURE Insurance Championship Impacting the First Tee in 2018 alongside PGA TOUR Champions professional Todd Hamilton. Gavin is currently a freshman at New Mexico State University, studying in the PGA Golf Management program with hopes of learning more about the various paths that golf can provide.       Are you a First Tee alum? Join our First Tee Alumni Network and stay connected with participants and professionals from around the country.

Alumna Elsa Diaz Set to Play in LPGA Event

At The First Tee, we strive to provide kids with opportunities that will not only improve their skills in golf but also put them on a path to succeed in life. Like many alumni of The First Tee, these type of opportunities have impacted 22-year-old Elsa Diaz in a big way. An alumna from The First Tee of Greater San Antonio, Elsa joined the program at the age of nine and quickly found a golf family who prepared her for the experience she is about to begin. Currently playing college golf at the University of Richmond, Elsa recently received an exemption to play in the Kingsmill Championship, a LPGA Tour event. We asked her to tell us about her time at The First Tee and how she is preparing for this unforgettable opportunity.
Elsa Diaz, alumna from The First Tee of Greater San Antonio, chaperoning at the 2017 Joe Louis Barrow Jr. Life Skills & Leadership Academy

Tell us about your time in The First Tee

I started at The First Tee of Greater San Antonio when I was nine years old and it became a second home for me and my two older siblings, Sara and Adolfo, until we graduated from the program. When I think about my time at The First Tee, I remember it as a place of opportunity, friendships, a playground and where we could dream big. The First Tee gave my family and me opportunities that we could’ve never imagined experiencing anywhere else. Both my sister and I played alongside PGA TOUR Champions players at PURE Insurance Open at Pebble Beach on separate occasions. I never thought I would, but I got a chance to meet my golfing idols: Annika Sörenstam and Lorena Ochoa. With all these opportunities my siblings and I had the chance to explore so many different parts of life and learned more about ourselves and who we wanted to be in the future. The First Tee was a place where I loved to be because it was a place where I could be myself but also grow as a person while having fun. We learned life lessons through the game of golf and formed new friendships through every session, even during the two-hand touch football games we would play after classes. The First Tee was a place that let me be a kid full of joy a laughter and I will forever be grateful that this program is part of my life.

How did The First Tee prepare you for your time in college and in playing college golf?

The national opportunities The First Tee offers, like going to leadership academies and player forums, are the experiences that better prepared me for college and college golf. Having the chance to travel somewhere new without your parents and meet participants from across the country made me a more open-minded individual and I always felt a sense of growth after I came home. When I came to college, I found it easy to make new friends and the challenge of being so far away from home did not seem as hard because of those core principles I had been taught through my parents and the program. The national opportunities also taught me that when we have a dream, a goal, or an opportunity presented to us we should chase after it. I remember the day my program director told me about The First Tee Speed Golf Championship and told me that I should attempt it. I trained for the event as much as I could and was flown to Richmond, Virginia to compete in the championship. Little did I know I would end up winning the event, have a college coach watch me win it and later offer me a full four-year golf scholarship to the University of Richmond! I accepted it and have spent the last four years earning my business marketing degree, and have been having the time of my life.

Going into the Kingsmill Championship, what do you hope to gain and experience from this opportunity?

During the Kingsmill Championship, I hope to gain experience and knowledge on how it feels to play next to the best women golfers in the world. I can’t wait to know what that adrenaline and excitement will feel like and to finally be competing in the dream that I so long ago envisioned when I was 15 years old. Playing in this event will let me know where my strengths and weaknesses are so that I can compete, join them on tour, and play against the best in the world. I am very excited because it’s going to be a test of my character and mental game. I know its going to be hard to keep the excitement and nerves down, but hopefully, as soon I hit that first shot I’ll remember all those lessons from The First Tee I learned so long ago.

What are your future career and golf goals?

My future career and golf goals is to play full time on the LPGA Tour. Now that I have completed my education at the University of Richmond, I have my mind set on becoming a full time golfer, grow the game, especially women golf, and serve as a representative of brands and organizations.

If you could give one piece of advice to participants at The First Tee hoping to pursue a college golf, what would it be?

One piece of advice that I would give a The First Tee participant who is pursuing college golf would be to dream big and in the pursuit of doing it try everything the program has to offer. I think The First Tee does a great job of focusing on making us well-rounded individuals, not just golfers. They teach us that giving back is actually a benefit to ourselves, to excel in academics, choosing healthy habits, improving our social skills and most importantly how to dream and set goals. Even if it’s not golf-related, there is so much the program can give you that you can later apply to your own golf game. It seems to me that even though I am a golfer and I am playing golf, it was all the life lessons I learned while not playing golf that got me where I am headed to today.

JOIN THE FAMILY

Are you an alumnus of The First Tee? Join our Alumni Network to stay up to date on career opportunities, The First Tee events and chances to share your story, like Elsa. Join the Alumni Network

GET INVOLVED

With more than 1,200 locations, The First Tee offers programs to youth from all backgrounds—no golf experience needed! If you know a young person who has an interest in golf, visit our location map to find a local chapter! FIND A LOCATION

Building a life in golf, through The First Tee

Alumnus Kyle DiGiacobbe from The First Tee of Greater Philadelphia
For many alumni of The First Tee, golf is more than a game. It’s an opporunity to meet new people and experience new things. Alumnus Kyle DiGiacobbe tells us firsthand how the sport has impacted his life, from his career to his friends.

In His Words:

“I was always involved in golf as a kid, playing at the club with my dad on afternoons, and caddying on weekends. When caddying for him, John MacDonald, now retired executive director of The First Tee of Greater Philadelphia, asked me to come down and check out his new facility and The First Tee. I quickly became involved after my first visit, seeing the learning center as a great place to hit balls and practice in the winter, plus meet new kids who were my age and who played golf. Through The First Tee of Greater Philadelphia, I not only met numerous golfers, lifelong friends who I still communicate with, but also had my eyes opened to the golf industry as more than just the PGA TOUR on TV. I was selected to attend two golf and leadership academies hosted by The First Tee, chosen to play in The First Tee Open at Pebble Beach, and selected to attend the Future Leaders Forum.
Kyle and Beau Zastrow at his wedding

making lifelong friends

I have friends who I met at these events who I still talk to today, almost 10 years later, and have seen them be successful in golf and life. Beau Zastrow, who I roomed with at one of the academies, asked me to be a groomsman in his wedding. We also get together once a year, from across the country, when he can get time off from being a police officer. Kelsey Berg, who I met and keep in touch with, is a Marketing Director with FootJoy and I see yearly at the PGA Show. AJ Newell and I played a practice round at Pebble Beach and still keep in touch with via social media. She just earned status on the LPGA Tour.

Working in the Golf Industry

After these experiences in high school, I knew I wanted a life and career in golf. I moved to Florida for college and tried to walk on to the golf team, but it did not work out. So instead, I got a job at the course next to my university Gand worked there for four years. During college, I was able to secure a USGA P.J. Boatwright Jr. Internship with the Pennsylvania Golf Association for the summers of 2012 and 2013, and loved the tournament administration side of the golf business. Following the internship, I was hired in July 2013 by the Florida State Golf Association(FSGA). Now in my fifth season with the FSGA, I am the Director of Men’s Golf, charged with conducting state championship, junior tournaments, USGA qualifiers and numerous other events. I never thought caddying at 12 and 13 years old would lead to a life where I spend every day surrounded by golf, get to be on a golf course 3 to 5 days a week, and have lifelong friends that I made through this great sport.”

GIVE BACK AND GET INVOLVED

Looking for ways to stay involved with The First Tee after you leave the program? Join The First Tee Alumni Network for a variety of opportunities to network and build your career. Join the Alumni Network

Alumnus Norman Xiong Competes in Farmers Insurance Open

At The First Tee, core values like perseverance and confidence are key in not only teaching golf but the life skills that come with it. These two values are no stranger to nineteen-year-old Norman Xiong. An alumnus of The First Tee of San Diego, Norman joined the program at the age of five when his family moved to the states from Guam to pursue Norman’s passion for the game. Norman’s hard work paid off as he recently played in the Farmers Insurance Open after being granted an exemption to play in the PGA TOUR event.
Participants of The First Tee of San Diego wish Norman luck before The Farmers Insurance Open
We asked Norman, who is currently playing college golf at the University of Oregon, to tell us about his time at The First Tee and what it was like to play in the PGA tournament.

1) Tell us about your time at The First Tee.

I started at the First Tee at the age of 6. The program became a second home for me as I grew through elementary school. It was a place I could go and learn about myself, others, do my homework, and learn many life skills early in life. It’s also a place I’ve met some of my best friends. For example, I met Donald Kay in Par class when I was 6 years old.  Now 13 years later, Donald and I are roommates and play together at Oregon. I can say without a doubt that my life has been greatly improved because of The First Tee program.

2) Did Your experience at The First Tee influence your decision to play college golf?

Growing up at The First Tee, college was always something I knew I would do. There was talk with people around golf that I may just turn pro after high school. But I always knew college was something I wanted to experience. My situation starting at Oregon was unique. I graduated high school early and began at Oregon mid-school year.  It was a tough transition to begin something as new as college when all the other freshmen were already in the rhythm of things. During these challenges, I relied even more on the life skills I learned at The First Tee. Skills like meeting someone new, goal setting, and time management were all key in making the transition as smooth as possible. I absolutely love being a Duck and going to school at Oregon.  Going there was the perfect decision for me and I’m still not done learning.
Norman Xiong, student and college golfer, University of Oregon

3) What were your thoughts going into the Farmers Insurance Open and playing at such a professional level?

My family had a goal for me to play in one PGA TOUR event before I considered turning pro.  Hearing that I got into the Farmers Insurance Open and my first PGA TOUR event would be in my hometown was something I still can’t believe happened. Especially with the ties with charitable giving from the Farmers and The First Tee of San Diego. My biggest goals for the event were to have fun, gain experience, and see where I needed to improve my game to be eventually ready for the PGA TOUR. Just like I prepared for college well ahead of time, preparing for the PGA TOUR is something I want to equally be ready for. The Farmers in a sense was like visiting colleges in high school. To see how it looked and felt so I could become comfortable early.

4) Do you have any advice for participants at The First Tee who want to pursue college golf and/or play at the professional level?

The biggest bit of advice I would have for anyone who wants to pursue college golf is the importance of school. I was around a lot of talented golfers who thought their golf game would make it so their grades were not as important. Unfortunately, they learned the hard way that what you do in the classroom is equally weighted as what you do on the golf course. Those golfers, unfortunately, didn’t get to go to their dream schools. For their golf game, I would always stress to enjoy the game, not the rewards. At the end of the day it’s a game, and you’ll never be your best if you don’t love it.

Join the Family

Are you an alumni of The First Tee? Join our Alumni Network to stay up to date on career opportunities, The First Tee events and chances to share your story, like Norman.

Get Involved

With more than 1,200 locations, The First Tee offers programs to youth from all backgrounds—no golf experience needed! If you know a young person who has an interest in golf, visit our location map to find a local chapter! Find a Location

Developing Leaders: Impact Beyond the Golf Course

How do youth at The First Tee grow up to be leaders and positive influences in their community? It starts with positive youth development. Developing leaders requires recognizing and enhancing young people’s strengths. That’s what The First Tee is all about. We use golf a way to create supportive and positive environments needed to build on those strengths. Through opportunities and positive mentoring relationships, youth today become leaders of tomorrow. Alumni, like 21-year-old Luke Shrestha from The First Tee of Fresno, amaze us with their talents and accomplishments. Luke shares in his own way how his chapter helped him become the person he is today.

Luke’s Leadership Journey


Luke Shrestha, alumnus, The First Tee of Fresno
When I first joined The First Tee of Fresno around the age of 10, I was a super shy kid that would be more likely to look at the ground than look someone in the eyes. I didn’t know how to introduce myself to another person properly and I hardly talked at all. I remember being skeptical of having to learn life values along with golf since I just wanted to learn about golf, but my mom signed me up anyway. After that day, every class that I went to I started to open up more and more and the shyness started to go away. After a year in the program, I could easily go up to someone and introduce myself with no problem.

Growing in Confidence

As a kid, I struggled with confidence, but The First Tee classes helped me become more confident as well. After many years in the program, I started applying to go to national academies that The First Tee offered. I got accepted to go to Kansas one year for a Life Skills & Leadership Academy, and to Virginia the next year for the College Golf Prep Academy. In both of those experiences, I met people that I still keep in contact with today and play some of the best golf courses in the country. I will always treasure those memories. Without The First Tee of Fresno, none of those life-changing experiences would have happened.

Giving Back to the Community

For a couple years during college, I coached for The First Tee. This was such a rewarding and educational experience for me to not only be able to help kids that may have been in the same situation I was in at their age, but I also learned how to teach and give back. I had to learn how create a lesson plan, deal with rambunctious children, and how to be a leader. Learning life skills, especially leadership skills, in The First Tee helped me many times and even got me a job organizing and partly leading a company.

Pursuing a Career with Courage

Today, I am in Los Angeles working fulltime as a music producer and songwriter. Through the things I learned in The First Tee, I have been able to work on platinum selling records and billboard number ones. I have been able to be in the studio with some of the biggest artists of today, and I have the confidence to know my skills and creativity are valuable. I know for a fact that without The First Tee, I would not be down in LA making music like I am now. The First Tee of Fresno not only instilled confidence in me, it also made me more driven, showed me how to go after my goals and dreams, and how to approach stressful situations. All the life lessons that I was taught as a kid, I still use today. Every session I walk into, I walk into with the same mindset I used to walk onto the golf course with. A mindset of leadership, confidence, courage, patience, perseverance and every single Nine Core Value.

Thank you so much to all my Fresno coaches for the guidance and support throughout the years. I would not be the person I am today without that guidance.


WHY CHOOSE THE FIRST TEE?

Research shows our youth development program has a lasting impact, creating better citizens and lifelong golfers in the process. Our program aims to get young people ready for life’s challenges and pursue their goals. Find a chapter in your area to get started! Our Program