Big things continue to happen for First Tee-Savannah.
Two years after Quentin Brooks represented the chapter on one of golf's 
biggest stages, Savannah Arts Academy standout and First Tee-Savannah participant Maya Lilja-Vazquez has been selected to compete in the 2026 PURE Insurance Championship at historic Pebble Beach Golf Course, Sept. 18-20.
For a young golfer, it doesn't get much bigger than that.
The PURE Insurance Championship brings together outstanding First Tee participants from across the country to play alongside PGA TOUR Champions while learning valuable lessons from business leaders and mentors.
Maya earned the opportunity following an outstanding sophomore season.
She was named the Georgia High School Golf Coaches Association Class 2A Girls Player of the Year, earned All-State honors, finished as a co-medalist runner-up at the state championship, and captured the SJGA President's Day Open.
"As a golfer, her selection shows that dedication, practice and commitment to the sport has her set up for long-term success," said First Tee-Savannah CEO John Parker. "As a person, we couldn't be happier for her. She's earned this. She represents everything that First Tee is about and we are happy she was chosen to represent First Tee-Savannah."
But this selection isn't just about golf scores.
It's about leadership. It's about character. It's about the way a young person carries herself on and off the course.
That's what makes this event special.
Maya now joins a select group of First Tee-Savannah participants to earn the trip to Pebble Beach. In 2024, Quentin Brooks represented the chapter after years of dedication to the game and the First Tee program
"It shows that we are doing all of the right things for building a golf program and future leaders," Parker said. "Both Maya and Quentin are excellent people first and that's what we are most proud of. Them succeeding in the sport is just icing on the cake.".
Now it's Maya's turn.
Savannah Arts Academy golfer Maya Lilja-Vazquez (left) poses after winning a First Tee-Savannah tournament at Deer Creek at The Landings during the 2025 season.
The tournament will be played at Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill Golf Course and televised nationally on Golf Channel.
For Maya, it's a chance to compete against some of the best young golfers in the country.
For First Tee-Savannah, it's another success story.
"It shows the almost 1,200 participants behind them that with hard work and dedication they can be there too," Parker said. "Our next goal is to have multiple participants compete in the same year and as this program grows we know that more opportunities like this will become possible for our kids."
And for Savannah golf, it's proof that with hard work, dedication, and the right people in your corner, a dream that starts on a local driving range can eventually lead all the way to Pebble Beach.
Photo courtesy of the Prep Sports Report and Maya Lilja-Vazquez social medai pages.
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