At Pebble Beach, the PURE Insurance Championship Impacting First Tee reaches generations

At last week’s PURE Insurance Championship Impacting First Tee, Texas natives Taylor, Isaac and Matthew Lewallen stood behind their younger brother, Jacob, on the range Wednesday afternoon and watched him launch ball after ball into the salty Pebble Beach air.

Not only were the three older siblings there to root on their 17-year-old brother competing in the event with Rod Pampling, but to also impart to him the knowledge garnered from their own past experiences playing the world-renowned track.

To understand how they got to Pebble Beach, one must first learn how this Dallas family of playing siblings made it to the First Tee.

The story begins with Daniel and Hanh Lewallen – parents to six children. In addition to raising six kids, Daniel’s job requiring him to travel often, leaving quite a bit of the day-to-day on Hanh’s shoulders.

After learning about First Tee – Dallas, Daniel believed it would be a good way to expose his kids to the game in a structured setting and keep them all together to alleviate some of the driving for Hanh.

“We had to pick one sport to really pursue, and golf was it. First Tee made golf accessible for us,” said 23-year-old Taylor. “It wasn't just the program itself, but they provided all the tools we needed, too. They helped us get clubs, clothes and even helped pay for tee times and tournaments. Truly, it made the game more accessible. Before First Tee, we didn't think we had any place participating in the game of golf.”

“It has been really cool to see how passionate my mom and dad were about us playing,” William, 22, said. “Because my dad traveled so much for work, I joined the program when I was seven. But he’s not traveling as much for work anymore, so it’s neat to see how hands-on he has been with Jacob.”

At times, William added, it felt like their father was more involved than even the kids. A steadfast volunteer at every event when not traveling for work, they got to watch him fall in love with the entire First Tee program.

“I play every week,” said 19-year-old Isaac. “When we were younger, we would get First Tee passes, which allowed us access to other Dallas courses for about $5. That helped a lot. We played all the time on those courses.”

“At first, it was just a fun thing for us to do, because First Tee uses the game of golf as the tool to teach life skills and build character,” said Taylor. “It was such a fun thing we did every week.”

“When I was probably around 10, we started playing tournaments,” recalled Isaac. “We really loved it, so we all started practicing a whole bunch.”

“I actually work for our First Tee – Dallas chapter now and run our tournaments series as a program manager out there,” said Taylor. “So, it's kind of like coming full circle for us in terms of William and I getting to help make an impact on the kids the way that we were impacted. So, First Tee has definitely had a big influence on my career choice.”

“First Tee has absolutely shaped me into the person I am today,” said William. “A lot of my core values and morals are things I locked in with through First Tee and the game of golf.”

After high school, William was unsure of his life’s next direction. From First Tee, he received the guidance he both wanted and needed. As a result, he interned with First Tee and now works in marketing.

“At First Tee, they teach us about building a community of people you can trust,” said Taylor. “We were home-schooled, so we didn't really have that kind of community like most kids did. But, at First Tee, I met all my coaches and some of my peers and those are relationships I still have now, over 10 years later. That's probably my biggest takeaway from First Tee.”

“The community value was huge,” added Matthew. “Going back to when I was about 13, that mentor element has really paid off.”

“First Tee really helped me become more outgoing,” said Isaac. “It got me connected to a lot of people I was able to build relationships with that I still have today.”

Each year, the PURE Insurance Championship Impacting First Tee includes 80 First Tee members from chapters all across the United States (and one in Morocco), who get to compete in the annual event with PGA TOUR Champions players and amateurs from the business world. Juniors are selected based on golf proficiency and life skills knowledge.

Among those juniors over the years were Taylor and Matthew in 2017, Isaac in 2021 and Jacob last week.

“Playing Pebble Beach in the PURE Insurance Championship was unbelievable,” said Matthew. “Back home, we had the video game simulators, so we could launch Pebble Beach to play, which was super cool. But, to get to come and play here for real was larger than life. The views – I don't even know how it's possible. It was just such an honor to be able to come out here and play in the event. It’s just amazing.”

“This is definitely exciting to watch,” said Taylor. “The biggest thing I told him was to just make sure he has fun. He just wanted to kind of enjoy the experience for what it is. Not only are you playing Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill, but you get to meet the professionals, too. There's a lot you can get out of it.”

“First Tee has meant everything to me and has really taught me everything in life,” said Jacob. “Talking to people, talking to kids, playing golf, everything. … It all just means the world to me. I think the two greatest things I’ve gotten from First Tee are integrity and leadership skills.”

“I'll be following Jacob’s every shot on the course,” said Isaac. “That way, I'll be able to tell him where to aim it based on my experience here.”

“All my siblings have played Pebble already,” said Jacob. “Having them here watching was so fun and cool. This whole week has been beyond my wildest expectations and is the coolest thing I’ve ever done.”

Respectable as it was, Jacob’s pair of 3-under 69s didn’t advance him to Sunday’s final round. The whole experience, though, made winners of an entire family on a much grander scale. After all, how they got to play Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill wasn’t a matter of who they knew. The Lewallens earned their rightful place out there because of who they are.

“I would just say how thankful I am for First Tee,” said Taylor. “I don't know where I would have ended up without their programs and coaches. It was everything to me and it took a lot of people to get me where I am today. I’m just so thankful for all of it, Pebble Beach included.”