Kensie Carrol
Kensie Carrol has been a participant of First Tee Massachusetts since she was 7 years old. She is currently a Par participant at the Franklin Park – Boston location and was selected this past June to spend the day with Golf Channels Kira Dixon. The day included an interview with Jon Rahm, a 1-on-1 with Beau Hossler, plus a group of TV hosts and reporters who were on site for the 122nd U.S. Open.
“Who are you rooting for, Celtics or Warriors?” she asked Rahm. He smiled and laughed before admitting he was pulling for the Celtics, as his family has vacationed with star forward Jayson Tatum in the past.
“We selected a few kids we thought would be good and interviewed them over Zoom, and Kensie really rose to the top,” said Kyle Harris, Director of Operations for First Tee Massachusetts. “Kensie really shined, so we were happy to select her for this experience.”
Kensie may have exuded some shyness, but with the cameras on she opened up around some of the world’s best players. She also asked Rahm if he has a favorite club to help him escape from trouble (It depends on the day). With Hossler, she asked if he was nervous about this year’s U.S. Open, and if there was another sport he’s good at besides golf. (He said only baseball).
“They’re really nice,” Kensie said of the people she interviewed.
Kimberlee (Kensie’s mother) said she has natural reporter skills, “She does a lot of observing first. She has tons of friends, too, so everyone wants to hear from Kensie.”
She also received high praise from Dixon, who introduced her to golf writer Dylan Dethier, Scott Walker from Golf Channel and Michael Collins from ESPN.
“She was a natural,” Dixon said of Kensie. “She clearly really loves golf and enjoyed getting to be in the thick of things on the golf course and did a great job answering questions”
Kensie continues to work on her golf game throughout the summer and looks forward to the many more opportunities that may come her way.
Conor Olsen
Conor Olsen, now 14, is a participant from our Boston – Franklin Park location whos love for the game only grew larger after he was a standard bearer during this years U.S. Open. Unfortunately, in early February of this year, while traveling for a hockey practice, he began not to feel well. Later that evening he found himself at Boston Children’s Hospital where he was then diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system, and that he needed to begin treatment immediately.
Scared and unsure of the future, Conor pushed through treatments with his family, friends and strangers by his side. By the time we saw Conor in June, he finished chemo treatments. During Monday’s practice round, Conor was standard bearer for Andrew Beckler, Sam Burns, Scottie Scheffler and Andrew Novak. During the round, he was very open and honest about his journey with the players. As the first nine holes wrapped up, the pros were kind enough to take a photo with him. Scottie Scheffler took the time to make sure he gave Conor a signed ball and glove, thanking him for being out there in the heat.
Conor returned on Wednesday afternoon with some magnificent news for everyone. The night before, he got the call that he is now cancer free.