Borina & Sophie of First Tee – Silicon Valley to compete in the Inaugural First Tee National Championship

Borina & Sophie will showcase golf skills among 48 other teens from across the First Tee network at The Walker Course at Clemson University on June 20-25. Borina Sutikto and Sophie Thai of First Tee – Silicon Valley will compete in the upcoming First Tee National Championship at Clemson University on June 20-25, 2021.  Borinia attends Connecting Waters Charter School and has Rancho Del Pueblo as her home course where she practices, takes lessons and works. Sophie attends Los Altos High School and plays out of numerous public courses including Baylands Golf Links. The first-ever event with a total of 48 players will bring together First Tee’s elite golfers 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 tournament was postponed in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Borina will be attending Santa Clara University in the Fall and has an offer/scholarship to play on their golf team. She has earned national recognition as a golfer. In 2019, she was named the JGANC Female Player of the Year and Scoring Champion. She has been in our program for over 9 years and has contributed over 170 hours as a volunteer coach for FTSV all while receiving 4 Associate Degrees from San Jose City College. Sophie finished her junior year at Los Altos High where she achieved first team all-league golf honors. She is a highly ranked golfer, is a 2-time Girls Championship flight winner and has logged 3 top 3 finishes in AJGA tournaments which is the top junior golf tour in the nation. She has been in our program for 9 years and has made it to our Ace level. She is an active advocate of our chapter having presented in our fundraisers and in our board meetings. In school she is the Vice President of the National Honor Society. While COVID protocols will be in effect, the 54-hole event will take place and the winners of each girls’ and boys’ divisions will be awarded with the Tattersall Cup and also will earn an exemption into the PGA TOUR Champions’ PURE Insurance Championship Impacting the First Tee held at Pebble Beach Golf Links September 21-26, 2021. “We are proud to see Borina and Sophie from our area compete in this inaugural event, which will provide them with a college level experience on and off the course” said George Maxe, President & CEO of FTSV.  “Borina and Sophie has been part of our chapter for 9 years. They lead by example and we are delighted to see their growth over the years in character development as well as in level of play.” First Tee National Championship will be held annually at various college campuses around the nation providing First Tee participants the opportunity to network with others from across the country and take in the college experience. Clemson University’s The Walker Course is set to host the inaugural Championship. During the week, Borinia and Sophie will have the opportunity to hear from PGA Head Golf Professional Steve Scott on how his values intersected with his experience of finishing Runner-Up to Tiger Woods in the 1996 U.S. Amateur Championship. The field includes 24 boys and 24 girls, ages 14-19, who were selected based on their golf skill, competitive golf experience and handicap. Players will come from 32 First Tee chapters across the country. First Tee – Silicon Valley is a youth development organization dedicated to helping young people learn life skills and build character through the game of golf. First Tee National Championship is one of more than 10 national opportunities provided by First Tee headquarters to empower and motivate teens as they progress through the program and toward higher education opportunities. For more information on First Tee – Silicon Valley, visit www.firstteesiliconvalley.org.  For more information on the tournament and First Tee, visit http://www.firsttee.org/.