First Tee – Silicon Valley Ace participants Franky Sumcad, Norah Yang, and Sophie Thai will compete in the second annual First Tee National Championship in South Bend Indiana on June 27th to July 1st. First Tee National Championship brings together First Tee’s elite players for an opportunity to showcase how the program has helped build the strength of character needed to play at the collegiate or next level. The winners of each male/female division will be awarded with the Tattersall Cup named after First Tee Trustee, Fred Tattersall. Each winner will earn an exemption into the PGA TOUR Champions’ PURE Insurance Championship Impacting First Tee at Pebble Beach Golf Links.
First Tee National Championship is a 54-hole stroke-play event featuring a Girls and Boys division for high school participants ages 14-18. The field includes 24 boys and 24 girls, ages 14-19, who are selected based on their golf skill, competitive golf experience and handicap.
Meet Franky:
Franky is a terrific FTSV participant since 2012 and is a dedicated FTSV volunteer since 2020. She has volunteered as a coach in classes and at our Girls Golf events, and assisted at our fundraisers. She is also a high-performing competitive golfer. She is number 1 on her high school team and a +1 handicap. She was recommended, interviewed, and was selected as an honorary junior member at Silver Creek Valley Country Club, chosen for her skill level and for her character. She played in their inaugural Thanksgiving skins game featuring Franky, who won the most skins, and their other junior honorary members:
Sabrina Iqbal – TCU / California CIF High School Champion, NCGA Champion, SF City Champion, CA Women’s Amateur Champion
Katherine Zhu – CAL / Rolex All American, two-time AJGA Champ, #1 player at CAL
Caleb Shetler – SJSU / Mountain West Freshman of the year, 2021 US Amateur participant at Oakmont, Santa Clara County Champion, Course Record Holder Cinnabar (60) and San Jose Country Club (59). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yW483rVg_q4
Meet Norah
Norah is a leader and role model in her classes as a FTSV participant and as a coach. She has been active as a participant since 2015 and began volunteering as a FTSV coach last season. As it relates to her golfing acumen, she led her high school golf team as a freshman to a league championship and was awarded MVP of the league in 2021. She has qualified for both the USKids World Championship twice and the IMG Junior World at Torrey Pines. Additionally, she has placed high in several AGJA tournaments.
Meet Sophie:
Sophie has been an outstanding participant in our program for 10 years and has been an active public speaker for our chapter. She represented FTSV at the 2021 Pure Insurance Open and placed tied for 2nd at the 2021 National Championship. She is highly ranked and is a 2-time Girls Golf Champion, has 3 top 3 finishes in the AJGA, and is first team all-league in high school.
Franky practices out of Silver Creek Country Club, Norah and Sophie practice at Baylands Golf Links in Palo Alto.
“We were proud to see Franky, Norah, and Sophie compete in this event, which provides them with a college level experience on and off the course.” said George Maxe, President & CEO of FTSV. “All three participants have been part of our chapter for over 5 years. We have been delighted to see them grow in character over the years and play at such a highly competitive level.”
Best of luck to all three!
