Hensley and Gore the best of the best of The First Tee of Brunswick County

Greg Hensley has been selected to represent the First Tee of Brunswick County at the 2008 Summer Leadership and Life Skills Academy July 8-15 at Kansas State University.

He will join 100 other First Tee members from around the country and the world for a week of leadership building, life skills workshops and golf. They will stay in dormitories while being chaperoned by Kansas State students who are involved with the leadership curriculum offered at the university.

Last year, Eric Grant represented the Brunswick County chapter of The First Tee at the Leadership Academy.

“Last year Eric went and told me how much he enjoyed the week,” Hensley said. “That inspired me to work hard and apply for this year’s event.”

Hensley is a pupil at Shallotte Middle School, where he was recently named a spring scholar-athlete. He is an eagle level participant in The First Tee of Brunswick County and was No. 1 on the Shallotte Middle School golf team that won the county championship this year.

In other news, Dalton Gore made the first cut in the participant selection process at Kansas State University and the tournament at Colbert Hills Golf Course, which will take place July 14-18.

This is the first time The First Tee of Brunswick County has been eligible to send a participant for the qualifying event for The First Tee Wal-Mart Open at Pebble Beach, which starts Aug. 25.

The selection process demanded a golf handicap of less than 12, being an eagle level participant in The First Tee, submitting a winning essay focusing on an accomplishment in which he had to overcome an obstacle, plus community involvement, extra-curricular activities, golf accomplishments and a letter of recommendation from the local chapter.

While in Kansas, Gore will be interviewed twice by Wal-Mart executives and other judges who represent many professions throughout the country. His essay, community involvement, extra-curricular activities, golf accomplishments and letter of recommendation will be graded a second time against 90 other competitors.

Gore also will compete in a 36-hole tournament at Colbert Hills for 30 percent of his total score. On July 18, officials will announce who will be going to Pebble Beach to compete in the Wal-Mart Open. This tournament is part of Champions Tour. Members of The First Tee who have been selected at Kansas State will play with PGA pros at one of the most famous golf courses in the world.