SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Forty-eight of the best young golfers in the country are competing this week at the Warren Golf Course on the campus of the University of Notre Dame for the First Tee National Championship. One of those golfers happens to be East Grand Rapids High School senior Angelo Luciani.
The 16-year-old has competed on the big stage before. Luciani played in last year’s First Tee National Championship at Clemson. He knows this is a big weekend for not just golf, but to potentially be recognized for a college scholarship.
“It’s a big one,” Luciani said. “I am really excited for it. It’s not exactly another tournament. There’s a lot of close friends but we are all trying to go out there and win. It’s a big one especially with everyone coming from around the country. A win could definitely give you a step in the right direction so it’s always good with coaches and everything. There’s more to it than just the win. There’s a lot of connections you can build from this. Always looking at that aspect.”
Since the Warren Golf Course is just an hour and a half away from Grand Rapids, Luciani has played the course before. It certainly gives him an advantage over some of the kids who are competing for the first time.
Luciani has played with First Tee West Michigan for over 10 years, and he hopes he can represent his hometown on the national stage.
“Everywhere I try to go I either represent myself, my family, my coach,” Luciani said. “If I play for my high school team, I am representing them. I think it’s bigger than golf in that aspect. It’s the way I act around people. It’s everything I do. It’s going to be noticed. I think that’s a big part of it is I am representing what First Tee West Michigan does.”
Luciani will showcase his skills on Wednesday when the action begins. He scouted out the course during a practice round on Tuesday. The tournament runs through Friday.
The field includes 24 boys and 24 girls from ages 14-18.
The winners of each boys’ and girls’ division will be given the Tattersall Cup and will earn an exemption, if eligible, into the PGA TOUR Champions’ PURE Insurance Championship Impacting First Tee.
That event will take place from September 20-25, 2022 at the historic Pebble Beach Golf Links.
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