TEMECULA, Calif. — Access to professional athletes for one-on-one mentoring can be invaluable to teenagers with big dreams. In this Zevely Zone, I visited Journey at Pechanga golf course where LPGA professionals are teeing it up.
Sometimes taking a swing at greatness starts with an opportunity to see firsthand how it's done. "When I see these young golfers, I see a little bit of myself," said LPGA player Gabriella Then. The professional golfer wants young athletes to know the danger of golf burnout is real. "I stopped playing competitive golf a couple of years ago in 2019 for about two years and when I came back, I didn't know I'd be able to do this again," said Gabriella.
The CM Pro-Am Tournament is Gabriella's opportunity to connect with the next generation. "What grade are you guys in?" asked Gabriella. "I am a junior. I am a sophomore," said high school golfers Brooke Carpenter and Val Roldan. I asked the students what it was like to meet the pros. "They are pretty good," they said with a big laugh.
Coach Rachel Reif from Great Oak High says her players will learn a lot about life today because it's rare for a high schooler to ride in a cart with an LPGA player. "I don't know of another event that does that," said Coach Reif. "The opportunity to shadow a LPGA player having that conversation, they are right in the cart, they are watching their swing live, obviously we all watch it on TV but to have that live look and that conversation piece, you can't get that."
"I wish I had this opportunity when I was younger because it would have given me a glimpse at what it is like to be a professional golfer," said Gabriella. The high schoolers got to keep score for the LPGA players and ride in Gabriella's cart. "I think her mental game is a very strong factor," said Val.
A mental game, that even for a professional, needed a break. "I just took a step back and reevaluated some of my options and here we are back again in professional golf," said Gabriella.
"Just being able to know that when you fall you can bounce back there is always a way out of your hard times," said Brooke. Gabriella is hitting the ball better than ever. She told her protégés that when she played high school golf there wasn't a girl's team. She had to play with the boys. "Oh, I won, I did pretty good," said Gabriella. "At this point in my career I am just super grateful for every opportunity that I have been given."
This was the 16th annual 'CM Pro-Am' and the tenth time Pechanga Resort Casino hosted the tournament.
Watch more Zevely Zone content below: