The First Tee Junior Reporter Blog

Junior Reporter Program
Day One

By Karah Rose  

Soon after, Steve Payne, the Junior Reporter I’m paired with, and I had a one on one interview with Brett Quigley. We both were struggling to get things moving and Mr. Quigley said jokingly, “Do you guys know how to work these computers?” That lightened the situation and put both of us more at ease.

Brett Quigley has been on the PGA for 16 years. He had a stress fracture in 2008 and is still recovering from it. His expectations for this tournament are to just have fun and see how his body handles it, because it will be his first time back playing since his injury. If Quigley had a preference on a player to play with, he would choose Ben Crane. He says that he always laughs on the course with him and that Crane has a great enthusiasm for golf and life.

His opinion on the change and format of the Bob Hope Classic was that the evolution was necessary. Quigley said going forward was important. It’s a great mix now with two pros and two amateurs. He said that Humana’s done a great job at giving the Bob Hope a new life.

After our interview with Quigley, we had the opportunity of meeting Larry Bohannan, the golf writer and columnist for The Desert Sun. He was quite the character and we had a fun time with him. He took us through the driving range area where the pros and amateurs practice. He gave little backgrounds on some of the players. While grabbing lunch, Larry introduced us to Jerry Green, a retired sports writer and columnist from the Detroit News. Green has had the opportunity to cover every Super Bowl.  He was a nice fellow and I enjoyed talking to him. After lunch, Bohannan saw us off and wished us luck.

We then interviewed Carson Daly, the show host of “The Voice” on NBC. His parents live here in the desert and he went to the College of the Desert. He said it’s fun to be back and be part of the Humana Challenge. Carson said that golf has been the epicenter of his relationship with his dad. One very nice lady, Carole Krechman, introduced us to Carson and said that we were journalists from The First Tee. Carson said, “The First Tee’s great.” We got pictures with him and he was really nice.

Overall, the weather was great. I’m sure the pros and amateurs enjoyed their time playing. Everyone was so nice and it was a great experience.

Day Two

By Karah Rose 

Hair wet. Make-up unfinished. Flying in my little red S-10 down Jefferson Street on my way to the Humana Challenge.

Just a half an hour earlier, I received a text message saying I had to be at the Humana Challenge earlier than I was planning. Steve called me and told me not to be too stressed out, but that did little to calm my nerves. Scrambling to pull myself together, I hopped into the car and made it over as fast as I could. I saw that Humana sign and was relieved yet still pushing it because I had minutes to spare.

As soon as I pulled into the parking lot I got out of my car and bolted to the Press Room. I made it in the nick of time and got my seat next to our guide and the program director of The First Tee of the Coachella Valley, Chris Keener. In a matter of minutes, Bob Marra, Executive Director and CEO of the Humana Challenge, would introduce Tim Finchem, the commissioner of the Humana, Mike McCallister, the Chairman of the Board of Humana, and lastly, President Bill Clinton. I was excited.

All of these men were great speakers and they really expressed how passionate they are about getting the message about being healthy and staying active across the Valley and America. President Clinton made a comment that really stuck out to me that Tom Watson made to him.

He said, “Golf is the way politics is. If your grip is too far to the right, you’re going to get in trouble on the left. But if your grip is too far to the left, you’re going to get in big trouble on the right.” This comment proceeded with laughter. After the rolls of chuckles, Clinton stated, “The trick is for your grip to be just right.”I can’t help but to agree with him on that. I did not only take it at a golf or political outlook, but also from a life viewpoint. There are many circumstances in life where you are strong in one thing, but lack in another, and it takes work, but you learn to balance them out.

After our press conference, we happened to run into Gary Player. Player is a South African professional golfer and is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of golf. He really pushed the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and how there is such a lack of it in America today. I asked him how traveling around the world so often and to so many places affected his life. He said that by doing that, he gave himself the greatest education in the world. He has a great sense of humor and I loved his accent. He is really enjoyable to talk to.

Steve and I snapped a picture with him. Player asked to see it and said it was a great picture. Not every famous celebrity would take the time to make sure that the picture you took turned out right. It was just one of the little things about him that makes him unique. After our encounter with Player, I grabbed my camera and Steve joined me in snapping some shots of the Humana. We then toured all the booths and looked at all the things that everyone offered. It was so neat to see the whole community come together and make an effort to join in on what the Humana is supporting. Visitors, volunteers, media, and even some of the pros are wearing pedometers. Healthy eating is promoted by the nutritious options offered at the food stands. Everyone is coming together for the better.

We then had the opportunity to be guests on 1010 KXPS AM radio. Julie Buehler and her co-host, Geoff Blume, were really nice and they were fun talking to. They made us feel comfortable and they were easy to talk to. At one point in the interview, Julie was shaking her pedometer to try and “gain” more steps and she asked us what we thought of her doing that. I said, “To be honest, you’re probably not the only one.” It was fun and a really neat experience.

After that, we interviewed Saul Martinez, a former soldier who is apart of the Wounded Warrior project. Their motto is “To honor and empower wounded warriors.” Their vision is to foster the most successful, well-adjusted generation of wounded service members in our nation’s history. Martinez has two missing limbs. He talked about how this project had helped him learn the game of golf and it’s therapeutic for him and it’s a life enhancement for him. He had never played golf before his service and he started playing a year and a half after his injury. He was so inspiring and made Steve and I feel very humbled. We thanked him for his time and service.

Steve and I then roamed around some more and we got the chance to write motivational words on a board with a bunch of other people’s quotes to be healthy.

Today was a very fast paced day, but it was all worth it. I want to thank everyone who helped me and gave me this opportunity. I would have never imagined getting such a chance and being so exposed to how being a journalist really is. I want to especially thank Chris Keener for presenting this chance to me. My time here was absolutely incredible and it was definitely an experience worth remembering.

About Karah Rose Shouse

Karah Rose Shouse is seventeen-years old and has been involved with The First Tee of the Coachella Valley since 2008.  Karah was introduced to the game of golf by her Dad at a young age.  She was then enrolled in The First Tee program, which allowed her to expand her golfing skills.  Karah has experienced discouragement with her golf game and has been close to throwing in the towel, but with her parents support she was able to persevere and stay committed to the game.  She is currently enrolled in the Birdie 2 class, which is the highest level class that her local chapter has to offer.  She plans to complete the program and become Ace certified and she will strive to make golf an important part of her future endeavors.

Karah has been honored to speak and represent The First Tee at many of their social and fund raiser events. Karah has always been a willing volunteer and is currently volunteering with the Little Linksters class.  She enjoys teaching the younger players the fundamentals of the game of golf, along with promoting the nine core values.  The First Tee has positively impacted her golf game and her personal life in many ways.  She is thankful for the opportunities and instruction that she has received.  Karah is truly grateful for the time, support, and dedication of the coaches and staff of the First Tee of the Coachella Valley.