The very happy Birthday boy!
A birthday message from the family
Benjamin, 13! Are you kidding me? Where have the years gone? I can’t believe we have a teenager in our house now. You have turned into an amazing young man that we are so incredibly proud of. Your love for your family and the Lord is infectious, and so awesome to see. We love you so much and can’t wait to see what’s in store for you in these next couple years. — Love you. Dad, Momma, Bay, BoBo.
Today’s the BIG day!
“Footbahlin’ with Ben Roethlisberger”, Episode 109
“Benjamin Roethlisberger, Jr., Diamond Run All-Stars sets sights on nationally televised championship golf”
From Matt Press, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
When the Diamond Run 13U golf team arrives in Frisco, Texas, for the nationally televised PGA Jr. League national championship, their first order of business will be ESPN interviews.
“Right when you get down there on the first day, they’re putting you in an interview room before you even step foot on the golf course,” said Adam Morrison, the team’s coach and the head golf professional at Diamond Run Golf Club in Sewickley. “They’re getting you in front of cameras before you’re even swinging a club.”
The event begins on Sunday with interviews and a practice round and runs through next Thursday. By now, some of these kids are regular pros in the TV world.
“I really like that part,” said Niko Ameredes, a 12-year old from Oakdale. “I think it’s cool that junior golf gets to be televised.”
Ameredes competed with the team in the national championship last year, which Morrison said “kind of blew our program up,” in terms of signups.
Benjamin Roethlisberger Jr., the son of the former Steelers quarterback, is a member of the eight-player squad heading to Texas.
After returning from the trip last October, the elder Roethlisberger raved about the Fields Ranch facility on his “Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger” podcast. Among the various features includes a Topgolf-style driving range called “Ice House” and a 75,000 square foot putting green.
“That place is spectacular,” Roethlisberger said at the time. “It’s got a 10-hole, lit-up par three course, which, I must add, Benjamin got a hole-in-one on.”
The team is selected following a regular season that spans from June to August. Each week on Monday afternoons, the kids in the program play nine-hole matches. This year there were 90 participants, allowing Diamond Run to complete the entire season in-house and pick an All-Star team to advance to sectional and regional championships.
The Diamond Run All-Stars — who will compete in Frisco as “Team Pennsylvania” — punched their ticket to the national championship with a victory in the PGA Jr. League Region 2 Championship at Webster Golf Club in New York back in September.
There will be 12 teams from around the country in the national championship, and each will have four groups playing two-person scrambles. There is a 36-hole stroke play qualifier that takes place on Tuesday and Wednesday, and […]