Four local youth golfers from The First Tee of Fort Worth have been selected to compete in the 2013 Nature Valley First Tee Open at Pebble Beach, an official Champions Tour event scheduled for Sept. 27-29 and televised internationally on Golf Channel. The four outstanding youth chosen to compete are Olivia Gibbs, a Senior at Timber Creek High School, Nicholas Narcisse, a Junior at Mansfield High School, Connor Parish, a Junior at North Crowley High School, and Jacey Patton, a Senior at Temple Christian School.
Gibbs, Narcisse, Parish and Patton will join 80 other participants from The First Tee chapters nation-wide for the event, which is in its 10th year. The four were selected by a national panel of judges who evaluated playing ability and comprehension of the life skills and character education learned through their involvement with The First Tee. Almost 150 applications were submitted.
Gibbs is playing in her first national event but actively involved in The First Tee of Fort Worth as a member of the Junior Advisory Board and is pursuing her ACE certification, the highest certification level in The First Tee Life Skills program. Gibbs has been an All-District player every year since her freshman year and recently finished her junior year with five top ten finishes in District 5-A competitions, to include two second place finishes and one win, ranking her 11th in the district. Gibbs also has racked up five wins in 14 tournaments over the last two summers for the Northern Texas PGA chapter, finishing each season second overall in points. Gibbs competed in the U.S Girl’s Junior Qualifier and in the Texas Junior Golf Tour. Gibbs is active in her community as a volunteer for the Keller ISD’s Special Needs program and the Keller Education Foundation.
Narcisse got his first tournament win in 2012 at the Pro Duffers Charity Golf Tournament but has four second place finishes and one third place finish. Narcisse currently plays with a 0.8 handicap as he works on continually improving his game. Narcisse is a member of the Junior Advisory Board and has attended The First Tee National Life Skills and Leadership Academy, and the National Advanced Academy. Narcisse is an active volunteer in his church and also had the privilege of playing in a foursome with golf great Lee Trevino a couple of years ago.
Parish is the Varsity Golf Team Captain at North Crowley High School (NCHS) and was the player of the year for the 2012-2013 school year. Parish had one first place finish, two second place finishes and two third place finishes during last school year. Parish finished in third place in the North Texas PGA Spring Series this past March and finished first in the fourth flight of the Fort Worth Junior Golf Association Championship in 2012. Parish is also in the ACE program with The First Tee of Fort Worth, is a member of the Junior Advisory Board, attended The First Tee National Advanced Academy and the Hank Haney International Junior Golf
Academy. Parish also volunteers with the NCHS theater production group and helps with special needs students during school activities.
Patton boasts four first place finishes during the 2012-2013 school year to include the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools (TAAPS) 3A State Championship. Patton was the TAAPS state runner-up the previous two years. Patton won The Optimist Club’s Young Texanne Award for 2013 and was Temple Christian Academy’s Citizen of the Year in 2011 and 2012. Patton is a member of the Junior Advisory Board for The First Tee of Fort Worth where she serves as a Junior Coach and Summer Camp volunteer and attended The First Tee National Life Skills and Leadership Academy.
Gibbs, Narcisse, Parish and Patton, along with the other juniors, will be teamed with one of the 81 Champions Tour players and 162 amateurs as they compete for the pro-junior title at Pebble Beach Golf Links and Del Monte Golf Course. Play will be conducted on Pebble Beach Golf Links and Del Monte Golf Course on Friday and Saturday, and the final round will be played on Pebble Beach on Sunday.
Kevin Long, Executive Director for The First Tee of Fort Worth states, “We are extremely proud of these young men and women and their accomplishment in being chosen to participate in this tournament. Their hard work and dedication to the game of golf, as well as to their schools, families and communities is evident in everything they do. We are also extremely honored to be the only chapter in The First Tee network to be sending four players to this event. It is truly a testament to the great coaches, participants and supporters of our program.”
The First Tee of Fort Worth is one of 188 chapters around the country and in select international locations. Serving the Fort Worth and surrounding community since 2004, more than 25,000 young people have been served annually through chapter programs and The First Tee National School Program, which is in 20 schools spanning across three school districts.
To learn more about The First Tee of Fort Worth, visit www.thefirstteeftworth.org. For more information on the 2013 Nature Valley First Tee Open, visit www.thefirstteeopen.com.
