Desert Speed School athlete and Sabino standout golfer Chase Pickering received recognition in Arizona Daily Star longtime sportswriter Greg Hansen’s weekly Sunday Mailbag recently, following his 2-under performance at the PGA Tour Champions event, held at the famed Pebble Beach course.
Tucson’s James Labukas, a senior at The Gregory School, and Chase Pickering, a junior at Sabino High School, were chosen to play in the ongoing PGA Tour Champions event — the PURE Insurance Championship. Pickering shot a 3-under 69 Friday as a partner of Champions Tour regular Michael Allen; Labukus shot a 2-under 70 with his partner, Scott McCarron.
Both were chosen from the nationwide pool of First Tee nominees, this one, the First Tee of Tucson program conducted by Judy McDermott, long-time executive director of the Tucson Conquistadores. “Before going to Pebble Beach, James and Chase were mentored by (two-time PGA Tour champion) Don Pooley,” said McDermott. “They’ve got a lot of support.”
Pickering has a 3.9 GPA at Sabino and is in his ninth year with the First Tee, whose home office is at the El Rio Golf Course
