Hanna Brauburger of Bella Vista comes from a golf family. All three of her older siblings played golf at the college level. Now it's her turn to represent the family at Pebble Beach.
In 2009, her brother Brik Brauburger played at the Nature Valley First Tee Open in Pebble Beach, Calif. Her parents accompanied him.
When she plays in the same tournament beginning on Sept. 23, both Hanna's parents will be watching and one of her older sisters will travel to California to caddie for her.
She'll be paired with a pro golfer, but that's not a first for Hanna. She played with the pros at the LPGA Walmart Northwest Arkansas Championship in 2010 when she was only 13 years old.
"This is going to be different," she said, "It's Pebble Beach."
Hanna started with First Tee about 10 years ago, when she was 7 years old. She liked the program so much, that when she was 12, she started volunteering at First Tee Golf camps. When she was 16, she went to work for them during the busy summer season.
First Tee is a nonprofit organization that teaches golf and character to children.
The local chapter nominated Hanna for the Pebble Beach tournament. She had to fill out an application that resembles an application for college and compete with nominees from 200 other chapters for one of 80 spots at the tournament. Each nominee was judged on their golf skills and their overall character.
Each summer First Tee hosts golf camps at its facility in Lowell, and also at the Brittany Golf Course in Bella Vista. Hanna goes wherever she is needed.
She also plays on the Bentonville High School golf team where she took the number one spot as a freshman and has held it since. The high school season starts this week and she'll return from Pebble Beach just in time for the state and conference tournaments.
Beginning her senior year in high school, Hanna is starting to think about college but admits that she's a little behind on the application process. She needs to start contacting the golf coaches at the schools she likes to ask about scholarships.
"The opportunities for girls at the collegiate level are pretty amazing," Elizabeth Prenger of First Tee said. "She has an excellent chance of getting a scholarship."
"She has a phenomenal personality," she added, "She's great with the kids."
If a golf scholarship fell through, she still has academic scholarship opportunities, Hanna explained, since she is in the top ten of her class and has already taken several advanced placement classes.
"I don't want to stay close to home," she said.
Home is on the Dogwood Golf Course, here in Bella Vista. It's her favorite course since she's so familiar with it, although she's also fond of Berksdale.
She's looking forward to seeing the scenery that Pebble Beach is famous for as well as playing with the pros she's always admired.
"It's so incredible," she said.
Sports on 07/30/2014