(Fall 2025 National Opportunity Update – Published 10/03/25) For First Tee – Silicon Valley, the Fall has many unique and impactful opportunities for high school participants who go above and beyond. Between the Innovators Forum, the Drive Your Future Academy and the PURE Insurance Championship, hardworking FTSV participants will represent their chapter on the national stage. If you are interested in learning more about the National Opportunities available, please visit our website or email Coach Phoenix – [email protected].
Each year, a group of exceptional First Tee teens gather at the First Tee Innovators Forum, where they develop a meaningful service project to bring home to their community. Projects focus on education, health, human rights or environmental sustainability. By bringing together passionate participants from across the chapter network, the Innovators Forum provides a distinctive enrichment experience, engaging teens who share a similar desire for learning and generating changes in their communities.
This year, two outstanding FTSV participants will be attending this event. Sahara Huchim Velazquez and Nicolas Hernandez Lopez have been in the program for years and both volunteer as junior coaches. Have a great time Sahara and Nicolas!
For more than 20 years, the PURE Insurance Championship has provided First Tee participants with the unique opportunity to showcase the skills and values they’ve gained through the program. Held at the iconic Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill Golf Course, the tournament pairs 80 standout teens from First Tee Chapters nationwide with PGA TOUR Champions players and amateurs from the business community. The annual event was broadcast internationally on Golf Channel.
This year, FTSV participants Alexis Chu, Brian Yu and Walton Li attended this event and were phenomenal representatives of our chapter. Everyone played very well, including a 6th place finish for Alexis and 3rd place finish for Brian. More importantly, all players conducted themselves with respect and kindness, building lasting relationships while playing golf in one of the most beautiful places on earth. Fantastic work!
The First Tee Drive Your Future Academy presented by John Deere is a female empowerment event recognizing young women who are motivated to influence positive impact at their chapters, schools and communities. The five-day academy experience focuses on the importance of building a strong network and how to approach mentorship opportunities, navigating post-graduation and career planning, and appreciating the value/impact of volunteerism.
Jennifer Barrientos and Alexis Chu were selected to attend the upcoming 2025 Drive Your Future Academy. Jennifer has been a participant for over 7 years, is a dedicated junior coach, and is a key member of the FTSV junior council. Alexis is also a dedicated participant, demonstrating her strong life skills on and off the course, including just recently at the PURE Insurance Championship. Enjoy the week!
(PURE Insurance Championship Impacting First Tee – Published 10/03/25) FTSV participants, Alexis Chu, Brian Yu and Walton Li were selected and competed in the PURE Insurance Championship Impacting First Tee at historic Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill Golf Course. Everyone played very well, including a 4th place finish for Alexis and 3rd place finish for Brian. More importantly, all players conducted themselves with respect and kindness, building lasting relationships while playing golf in one of the most beautiful places on earth. Fantastic work!
For more than 20 years, the PURE Insurance Championship has provided selected First Tee participants from around the country with the unique opportunity to showcase the skills and values they’ve gained through their respective First Tee Chapters. The tournament pairs 80 standout teens from First Tee Chapters nationwide with PGA TOUR Champions players and amateurs from the business community. The teens were selected by a national panel of judges who evaluated their essays, letters of recommendations, and golf resume. Throughout the week, our three participants competed in the prestigious tournament, got to eat meals with the professional golfers, and were able to network with their peers and tournament golfers. The annual event was broadcast internationally on Golf Channel and took place September 19th – 21st.
In addition to our participating teens, our chapter organized a field trip and brought 30 FTSV teen participants to cheer on Alexis, Walton, and Brian. Thanks to the generous grant by the Monterey Peninsula Foundation, our field trip teens rode to Monterey in style with a charter bus. While there, they enjoyed their time walking the course, watching the pro’s and supporting dedicated young First Tee players. They made sure to get autographs and soak in this unique experience.
Congratulations to all the athletes and thank you to the Monterey Peninsula Foundation for hosting First Tee – Silicon Valley!
(Participant Spotlight: Walton Li – Published 10/03/25) This month’s spotlight is on Walton Li, an FTSV participant since the age of 7, and now a volunteer coach, founder of a non-profit golf teaching program, and aspiring pediatrician. Walton is an exceptional member of FTSV, someone who embodies each and every one of our life skills and always seeks to serve his community. Walton took the time to sit down for an interview for this month’s spotlight:
What is your FTSV story? How long have you been a participant and volunteer?
“I joined the First Tee as a participant when I was 7 years old. One of my most vivid memories as a student was a coach pointing out my knack for choosing the right club. That short yet powerful compliment not only gave me confidence but also made me realize golf wasn’t just about power. Instead, it was about strategy, problem-solving, and patience. What started as just another sport to try eventually became a passion. First Tee laid the foundation for my love of the game. Now, as an FTSV volunteer coach, I am proud to be part of what shaped me, and am excited to pass on that same joy, confidence, and passion to the next generation of golfers. To date, I have been volunteering with the First Tee for three and a half years and have contributed around 450 hours during that time. Volunteering has become an essential part of my life, not only because I get to practice talking to the people I mentor, but also because it is a form of therapy for me. Being in high school has been stressful, but the thought of coaching and teaching my students golf and life skills every Saturday is something I look forward to and channel positive energy towards. In addition, the coaching staff at FTSV is a community I cannot find anywhere else in my life. The people I work with are some of the most supportive people I have ever met, and enable me to constantly improve myself, not only in golf, but also in my life. Finding myself coaching for an organization that gave me the gift of golf is a full circle moment that I find fascinating, and I hope other participants can experience the same.“
Tell us more about the non-profit work that you do outside of FTSV.
“Outside of FTSV, I’ve created Follow Through Golf, the first golf teaching program in NorCal that specializes in those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). I noticed that some participants with autism struggle if they are in a setting that isn’t suitable for their needs. This inspired me to build a more adaptive and specialized environment where they could learn at their own pace, gain confidence, and feel included. After receiving certification through the Ernie Els GameON Autism Golf Foundation as a golf instructor, I began teaching 5 students then later expanded it to 27. Moving lessons to miniature golf courses, I discovered how a calmer, creative environment could reduce stress and help students thrive. This experience has been meaningful because I’ve seen kids not only learn technical skills but also recognize their own capabilities. Seeing them overcome challenges that they initially faced has taught me that progress comes from adaptation and inclusive systems. In addition, it further reinforced my desire to become a pediatrician in the future, providing meaningful care for adolescents.”
You recently played in the PURE Insurance Championship at Pebble Beach. Tell us about that experience and what you learned.
“The PURE Insurance Championship at Pebble Beach was, to me, a reminder of how far I had come through the game. Meeting and playing with amateurs and senior professionals showed me the importance of building relationships and learning from other people. On the first tournament day, I was playing with my pro John Senden, as well as amateurs MD Manouel and Sanjeev Mehra. As I got to know each of them well and learned about their experiences, I realized that everyone in our tee-time was someone that had made a difference by initiating and founding. Senden had founded PlayYellow, an organization that raises money for kids with cancer by tying in golf. For example, they do a massive fundraiser with TopGolf every year and donate all proceeds to children’ s hospitals. Manouel had owned an insurance company, and Mehra founded Periphas Capital. Meeting these people who had all started something just like me but had brought their initiatives to a massively successful scale was eye-opening, because I was able to get so much insight out of them, and was able to hear the process it took to get to where they are now. Another really life-changing experience was hearing that Senden was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. As someone who has done extensive work with helping children overcome obstacles of their own, seeing someone like Senden perform so well at Pebble Beach despite a motor impairment showed me that it was possible to overcome challenges. To me, he is a role model of what it means to truly love a sport. He adapts to a challenge and shows up to a tournament to support the next generation of golfers.”
How has what you learned through First Tee helped you in other areas of life?
“Because of FTSV, I learned that growth is not something that stops once you think you’ve “figured yourself out.” Instead, it really is something that continues as long as challenges keep coming your way, and you find ways to improve yourself. When I first joined FTSV as a volunteer coach, I had believed that I had no room left to grow, but my experiences at FTSV showed me how much I had to learn. With the guidance of coaches like Coach Joe Stuban (awesome guy), I began to grow as a coach, leader, and mentor. Using perseverance, confidence, and adaptability, I am changing the lives of others with the work I do. In addition to the First Tee students upon whom I impart skills and values, I also educate hundreds on the importance of HBV vaccinations, speak to classrooms full of students on the dangers of e-cigarettes, and extend golf learning to those in California who suffer from ASD. What makes FTSV remarkable in my eyes is the fact that you can learn, no matter how or where you are involved. Whether I was a student, coach, or a player sent to PURE, I found potential for growth and grew exponentially. These lessons have shaped me into someone who aspires to be a pediatrician, helping young people reach their potential, just like FTSV did for me.”
Do you have any advice for participants to help them get the most out of their experience here?
“My advice for participants is to not be afraid of standing out. It’s natural to want to fit in, but the moments that grow you are the ones where you are yourself. Whether you’re raising your hand or asking for an opportunity, standing out is what makes someone a leader.“
Walton’s work with FTSV, Follow Through Golf, and everything else he’s involved in is nothing short of inspiring. Him sticking with the game of golf up, embracing the values of FTSV, dedicating himself to them every day, and choosing to give back has led to many successes and personal fulfillment, and is a lesson to us all. Everyone at FTSV is proud to feature you in this spotlight article, Walton. Keep up the amazing work!
If your child is interested in golf or looking for a new extracurricular activity where they can learn, grow, and become part of something bigger than themself, consider enrolling them in FTSV programming. There are tons of opportunities for important early development for younger students, and equally as many for leadership and growth for middle and high schoolers. Visit our YOUTH PROGRAMS page for more information.
