Washington, D.C. (September 20, 2023) – First Tee and PGA TOUR Champions announced its tournament pairings today and Diego DeJesus, representing First Tee — Greater Washington, DC, will be paired with Thongchai Jaidee when he competes in the 2023 PURE Insurance Championship Impacting First Tee.
The event, in its 20th year, brings teens from First Tee chapters across the country to Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill Golf Course for the PGA TOUR Champions tournament, Sept. 19-24. The annual event, hosted by the Monterey Peninsula Foundation, is televised nationally on Golf Channel. DeJesus will compete for the Pro-Junior Team title.
“I am who I am today because of the First Tee,” said DeJesus. “First Tee and Coach Katie have taught me so much that I can use on and off the course. I’m excited to represent the Greater Washington DC chapter in the PURE Insurance Championship.”
DeJesus is a senior at Thomas Edison High School in Alexandria and plays on the Varsity golf team. He was a member of the team that has been back-to-back District Champions and claimed back-to-back undefeated seasons. DeJesus has also competed in several Middle Atlantic PGA (MAPGA) Junior Tour events as well as Virginia State Golf Association (VGSA) tournaments. He has been involved with First Tee for eight years and has been a volunteer coach for the past two years. He is a member of the National Technical Honor Society.
“Earning the opportunity to play at the PURE Insurance Championship is a goal for many First Tee participants, and we are so proud of Diego for achieving it,” said Clint Sanchez, Executive Director of First Tee – Greater Washington, DC. “Diego has been with our chapter for several years and has grown into a strong player and wonderful young man.”
Thongchai Jaidee is a Thai professional golfer playing on PGA TOUR Champions. He formerly played on the Asian Tour and the European Tour. On the Asian Tour, he holds the record for the most career earnings and is second in victories having won 13 times. He has won the Order of Merit on the Asian Tour three times during his career. Learn more about Thongchai here.
Play will be conducted on Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill Golf Course on Friday, Sept. 22 and Saturday, Sept. 23. The final round will be contested solely at Pebble Beach Golf Links on Sunday, Sept. 24, where 24 First Tee juniors will compete based on their 36-hole performance. The tournament will crown one male and one female First Tee Junior Champion on Sunday.
Throughout the week, the teens apply their character strengths and life skills learned from First Tee programs during the one-of-a-kind event where they are paired with a PGA TOUR Champions player and amateurs from the business world. He will join 80 other teens from First Tee chapters across the country. Participants were selected by a national panel of judges based on their personal growth and development through First Tee’s programs, as well as their playing ability.
More than 1,000 teens from First Tee have played in the PURE Insurance Championship, experiencing the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet, play and be mentored by PGA TOUR Champions players and amateurs in the field.
First Tee is a youth development organization that teaches life skills and helps kids and teens build their strength of character through golf. The PURE Insurance Championship is one of several national opportunities provided by First Tee Headquarters to encourage and motivate participants as they progress through the program and toward higher education opportunities.
The junior field for 2023 PURE Insurance Championshipcan be viewed here.
For more information on the tournament, visit PUREInsuranceChampionship.com. To learn more about First Tee, visit FirstTee.org.
About First Tee — Greater Washington, DC
First Tee — Greater Washington, DC is one of 150 First Tee chapters across the U.S. and select international locations. Its mission is to impact the lives of young people by providing educational programs that build character and instill life-enhancing values through the game of golf. First Tee — Greater Washington, DC impacts nearly 200,000 kids and teens through programs delivered at 23 program locations, 300 schools and 30 community centers. Learn more at www.firstteedc.org.
About Monterey Peninsula Foundation
Surpassing $200 million in total donations, Monterey Peninsula Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization that donates funds from the proceeds of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am on the PGA TOUR and the PURE Insurance Championship Impacting First Tee at Pebble Beach, a PGA TOUR Champions tournament. The Foundation focuses on improving the quality of life in Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Benito Counties.
www.montereypeninsulafoundation.org
www.pureinsurancechampionship.org
About PURE Insurance
Privilege Underwriters Reciprocal Exchange (PURE) Insurance is a property and casualty insurance company designed exclusively for successful, responsible families. We opened for business more than 15 years ago with the goal of offering something different in the insurance space: a company focused on doing what’s right for our membership (policyholders), one that promotes transparency and alignment of interests, and delivers greater value. Today, after growing at least 15% in each year since we began, we are the most awarded insurer in our category, offer coverage in all 50 states that includes high value homeowners, automobile, collections, watercraft, personal excess liability, fraud & cyber and flood to a membership of more than 100,000 individuals and families. Pureinsurance.com | 888.813.787
About PGA TOUR Champions
PGA TOUR Champions is a membership organization of professional golfers age 50 and older, including 34 members of the World Golf Hall of Fame. The Tour’s mission is to provide financial opportunities for its players, entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back and generate significant charitable and economic impact in tournament communities. Follow PGA TOUR Champions online at PGATOUR.com, at facebook.com/PGATOURChampions, on Twitter @ChampionsTour and on Instagram @pgatourchampions.
All events are televised in the United States, with most receiving complete coverage on Golf Channel, the exclusive cable-television partner of PGA TOUR Champions. Tournament programming is available via 25+ TV linear partners in 145+ countries and territories, with 25 channels carrying long-form and/or highlights coverage, and 200+ hours of live coverage distributed in 135+ countries and territories. Programming is also available via the OTT platform GOLFTV powered by PGA TOUR in every market outside of the United States, excluding China and Korea, with live coverage distributed in 130+ countries and territories.