Lodi golfer living out dream at Pebble Beach

The Pacific fog hadn't yet lifted when Lodi's Beau Zastrow stepped to the first tee and began his practice round on Wednesday at 10:40 a.m. at the Pebble Beach Golf Links.

Zastrow had played on the prestigious links before and had been mesmerized by a course that hugs the rugged coastline, offering breathtaking vistas, cliffside fairways and sloping greens.

But it wasn't the course's natural beauty that caught Zastrow's attention on Wednesday morning.

"Being inside the ropes, the scoreboards out there, the grandstands out there, it felt amazing," said Zastrow, who is living out a dream this week at the Wal-Mart First Tee Open.

Zastrow has been mingling with some of golf's biggest names during this week's festivities leading up to the Champions Tour pro-am tournament, which begins today and runs through Sunday.

After two unsuccessful attempts at qualifying for the event, the third time proved to be a charm for the resilient Zastrow, a senior at St. Mary's High and a member of the First Tee of Greater Sacramento.

But as elated as Zastrow was when he learned that he had been selected during last month's qualifier at Kansas State University, it pales in comparison to the awe and excitement he's experienced this week.

"Being out here seeing all these faces, past Masters winners, U.S. open winners, it's awesome," Zastrow said during a phone conversation from the Monterey Peninsula on Wednesday night, where he is staying with a host family.

Wal-Mart First Tee Open

When: Today-Sunday.
Where: Pebble Beach.
Local connection: Woodbridge junior golfer Beau Zastrow will be grouped in a foursome that includes longtime professional Bruce Summerhays.
Today's tee time: Zastrow's group tees off at 8:14 a.m.
TV: Today, 3:30 p.m. (GOLF).

He added that several celebrities, including Jerry Rice and Bill Murray, are also in the field.

Zastrow will be paired with golf pro Bruce Summerhays, a professional since 1966 with three victories on the Champions Tour and over $8 million in career earnings, and two amateur players that are corporate CEOs.

The foursome will tee off today at 8:14 a.m. on the Pebble Beach course and on Saturday at 12:44 p.m. on the Del Monte course, where Zastrow played his final practice round on Thursday.

According to Zastrow, if he and Summerhays are in the top 22 after two rounds, they will play the Pebble Beach course on Sunday. If not, Zastrow will play the Del Monte course.

All three rounds of the of the tournament will be broadcast nationally on the GOLF Channel, with today's opening round scheduled to air at 3:30 p.m.

Zastrow arrived at Pebble Beach on Tuesday and attended the pairings dinner that night, an event he said reminded him of the NFL Draft.

"There was a big projection screen and your face showed up on it. Then it kept switching faces, and the next it one stopped on was your partner," said Zastrow, who said he was thrilled to be paired Summerhays.

"I know his niece and nephew," said Zastrow, who noted that Summerhay's niece is also a First Tee of Sacramento member.

During his practice round on Wednesday, Zastrow said he studied the Pebble Beach course looking for birdie opportunities. At a dinner later that night, he surveyed the room in search of legends.

Zastrow was surrounded by them.

Tom Watson. Tom Kite. Nick Price. Ben Crenshaw. Fred Funk. Gary McCord.

"Meeting them in real life, shaking their hands, it was amazing," Zastrow said.

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