8-30-06
Paso High golfer plays in Pebble Beach tour event

Kevin Sepuleda among 78 junior golfers who are competing in Wal-Mart First Tee Open this weekend

Instead of concentrating this week on math, English and social studies, Kevin Sepulveda will be studying four footers, fairway approach shots and chips from the fringe.
Sepulveda, a senior at Paso Robles High School, is one of 78 junior golfers playing this week at the third annual Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach, a Champions Tour event.
"I was at school Monday. I'm missing the rest of the week," Sepulveda said on Tuesday as he prepared to play a practice round at Poppy Hills Golf Course, "All my teachers know."
Sepulveda, 17, is among the top junior golfers on the Central Coast. As a junior last year on a league-champion team led by himself and Levi Garcia, Sepulveda advanced to the California Interscholastic Federation championship last May.
"He really is an incredible prospect," said John Lambie, golf coach at Paso, who noted that Sepulveda was a first-team pick by the Los Angeles Times in its annual selection of Southern California prep golfers.
A second golfer from the region, Sarah Fox -- a senior at Dos Pueblos High School in Santa Barbara -- is also playing in the tournament, which features one Champions Tour professional, one junior and two amateur players.
The 54-hole tournament starts Friday on the Monterey Peninsula, and is played on Pebble Beach Golf Links and Del Monte Golf Course. It is televised nationally on The Golf Channel and NBC.
In the field this week are Tom Watson, Lee Trevino, Scott Simpson and defending champion Hale Irwin.
Loren Roberts, a native of San Luis Obispo and the money leader on the Champions Tour with four wins this season, is also among the competitors.
Roberts, who will play in the Straight Down Fall Classic in San Luis Obispo on Nov. 11 and 12, has starred in the Champions Tour this year and is in position to win player-of-the-year honors.
He leads the tour in putting average and top-10 finishes (14) and is second in greens in regulation percentage (74.7).
Last weekend, as defending champion at the JELD-WEN Tradition, the fifth major on the Champions Tour, Roberts was among the leaders Sunday morning but stumbled to a 76, to finish in a tie for 14th place with a 67-71-68-76--282.
A month earlier, Roberts won the Senior British Open at Turnberry.
Among the amateurs playing this year is Bill Murray, paired again with Simpson, a former U.S. Open winner. That twosome is always a crowd favorite at the AT&T National Pro Am played in late winter on the Monterey Peninsula.
Sepulveda learned Tuesday night he will be teaming with Champions Tour pro Jim Albus for the tournament.
This is Sepulveda's second appearance in the event. Last year he played with Champions Tour pro John Harris. The team finished tied for 36th place at 68-75-72--215. Earlier in the season Harris won a Champions event , the Commerce Bank Championship in June.
Albus, who has six Champions Tour victories dating back to 1991 and has earned more than $6.2 million on that tour, finished in a tie for 50th place last year in the First Tee event.
Sepulveda and Albus are scheduled to play at Pebble Beach Friday morning, teeing off at the 10th hole beginning at 7:42 a.m. They are on the No. 1 tee Saturday at 12:12 p.m. at Del Monte.
Among those who will be following the group will be Paso High's Lambie, who watched Sepulveda grow into a team leader last season along with Garcia, who earned a golf scholarship to San Jose State University.
"Kevin kind of stepped out of his personal skin last year," said Lambie. "The two of them were wonderful leaders out the on the course."
Before the tournament begins, Sepulveda and Bearcat teammate Ben Bourgault will be playing practice rounds and soaking up the tournament atmosphere.
"The next few days I'm just looking forward to the having some funs with the practice rounds," said Sepulveda on Tuesday.
Bourgault also a senior at Paso High, will caddy for Sepulveda.
"He knows Kevin's game really well. He's a good stable mate," said Lambie, who expects Bourgault to be Paso's No. 2 or 3 player next spring.
To qualify for the event this year, Sepulveda -- a member of the North County's First Tee program -- traveled to Kansas State University in July.
The selection process included proficiency on the golf course, personal interviews and an essay describing the impact of The First Tee on their live and a letter of recommendation from a chapter representative.
"It was more than just playing golf. Quite frankly, he didn't play his best golf when he went to Kansas," Lambie said.
Television coverage of the tournament this week begins Friday and Saturday on The Golf Channel from 3 to 5:30 p.m. NBC will broadcast the final round on Sunday from noon to 3 p.m.
Tickets for the tournament are available at www.thefirstteeopn.com or by calling 800 541-9091.
Youths 18 and younger are admitted free with a paying adult.

--Larry Mauter