By Junior Reporter: Isaac Parra

I attended the Byron Nelson kickoff luncheon. Bank of America was the sponsor of the Kick-Off Luncheon; I guess that’s why the food was so good. The food was from III Forks and I had roast beef, mashed potatoes, bread, 2 delicious brownies, and some lemonade. We sat with representatives from Dr. Pepper, Bill Flaherty, and Regina Moldovan. We were mostly eating and listening to the speakers, who made lots of jokes. The grown-ups at our table were very nice to us but we didn’t talk much until the end.

We interviewed Patton Chapman the chairmen for the tournament. Mr. Chapman started in the Salesmanship Club in 2000. He told me the Byron Nelson is filled with fun activities. Over 250,000 people will attend the Byron Nelson. For 12 years HP has been helping the Salesmanship Club raised 62 million dollars for the school and the therapy center. Two men who are very young are going to play in tournament their names are Jordan Speith and Patrick Reed they are both in their 20’s. Both of them are in the top 30 in the world. The Byron Nelson is held at Irving at Four Seasons Resort. 2,000,000 people will watch and attend the Byron Nelson. You have to be 21-50 years of age to be eligible to play at Nelson tournament. For kids at the Nelson there is a KidsZone which has lots of games, activities, and even bounce houses. The tournament is May 12-18.

Another thing that was interesting was when Peggy Nelson got up to speak. She told us that Byron Nelson said “Golf is easy woodworking is hard”. All the speakers were interesting but, the highlight for me was when Bill Flaherty promised us that he would take us behind the scenes at the tournament. I am really looking forward to the tournament. I hope to see you all there!