Salinas High golfer Kalea Hall claims second at the PURE Insurance Championship.

Standing on the 18th green at Pebble Beach Golf Links on Saturday, Sept. 24, waiting for her playing partners to finish the round, Kalea Hall took a glance at the leaderboard. What began as a quick look became fixed as the information sunk in.

“On the first day when I was tied for sixth I was like ‘holy moley,’” the Salinas High School junior explains. “The fact that I was tied for first was mind-blowing.”

After battling between the top three spots throughout Sunday’s final round, Hall finished the junior girls portion of the PURE Insurance Championship at Pebble Beach in second place at 21-under par, a single stroke behind Megan Meng.

The next evening, she watched as Steve Flesch—the professional Hall was paired with for the weekend—sank a birdie putt on the 18th to break a three-way tie with Ernie Els and Steven Alker to claim the PGA Tour Champions win. Moments before, Hall’s birdie putt hit the cup and bounced out, forcing her to settle for par.

“I felt so tense on that putt, you have no idea,” she admits. “That roar felt good.”

After the opening round on Friday, when a dozen or so fans trailed the group—which on this day included amateurs Hally Leadbetter and Heidi Ueberroth—around the challenging Spyglass Hill course, Hall commented on the gallery. It was one of the largest crowds she had played in front of, she explained. As she approached 18 at Pebble Beach on Sunday, more than 1,000 spectators waited to greet the group.

It almost didn’t go so smoothly. Scheduled to tee off on the back nine on Friday, Hall mistakenly posted herself at the tee box for number 1. She had to run to the 10th hole to make the 12:06 slot. But, she points out, the hurried start helped distract her from the pressure of the event.

On Saturday, as Flesch and Hall battled for the lead in their respective categories, television camera operators and a course reporter from the Golf Channel began following the group.

“Oh boy, that was scary,” she says. “I’m proud of myself for not showing nerves around the camera.”

The PURE Insurance Championship plays a unique pro-am format. Professionals from the PGA’s senior tour are paired with select members of the First Tee program from across the country. The pros compete in stroke play over 54 holes while the pro-junior team play team best ball. 

At the same time, a field of 156 amateurs take the best score of their particular foursome. The tournament benefits the Monterey Peninsula Foundation and the First Tee program. Hall has been involved with First Tee-Monterey County for a decade.

While Hall credits Flesch for carrying the load, she kept pace—particularly on Saturday, when the four-time PGA Tour winner struggled. She recorded an eagle on the second hole, birdied 14 for another best ball and when he found trouble on 17 and double bogeyed. Although Hall’s par attempt rimmed out, she sank the follow up.

“She did great—she has a nice game,” says Flesch, a four-time winner in his time on the PGA Tour. “I had a few trials and tribulations.”

Things went well for both on Sunday. After a 66 on Friday—“Steve played lights out,” Hall observes—and a 71 when the group moved to Pebble Beach, Flesch’s 68 and the crucial birdie putt on 18 was enough for the tournament win and a share of the $2.2 million purse.

Hall fired a 66-64-65 in the best ball format but could not gain that final stroke on Meng, representing First Tee-Greater Trenton.

Bryson Hughes of First Tee-North Florida took home the junior boys title. The amateur bout went to the team of Catherine Chevaleau of Carmel and Pebble Beach’s Jim Joye.

“Surreal” was the word Hall employed throughout the weekend to describe the experience.