Agostini On Golf: Local pro guests for First Tee

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Matt Bettencourt will interrupt his rookie year on the PGA Tour for some local fund-raising for The First Tee of Modesto.

The graduate of Beyer High is the featured guest at The Tour Player First Tee Benefit, a three-hour exhibition Saturday, Oct. 10, at noon at Del Rio Country Club's practice range.

Organizers hope Bettencourt will be joined by a few of his Tour friends, though nothing is confirmed. The day before, the Tour will wrap up the Turning Stone Resort Championship — the first of five Fall Series tournaments — at Verona, N.Y. After the Del Rio outing, the players travel to Las Vegas for the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open.

Meanwhile, The First Tee Benefit, which is free of charge and open to the public, promises to be a fun afternoon.

"We'll have a clinic, trick shots, lessons for First Tee kids and autographs," Del Rio Manager Duncan Reno said. "We haven't given up hope that a few of Matt's buddies will come with him."

The First Tee hopes to raise money via a series of raffle prizes: A driver autographed by Vijay Singh, and Bettencourt drivers signed by Retief Goosen and Singh. Also to be raffled is golf and lunch with Bettencourt for four at Del Rio.

Bettencourt, 34, is trying to keep his PGA Tour card for 2010. He's ranked 103rd with $717,677 on the money list this year, and he needs to stay in the top 125. Not helping was a missed cut last week at the Barclays, which KO'd his potential campaign in the FedEx Cup playoffs.

For more information on The First Tee Benefit, call 341-2414.

• THE SHAG BAG — Sisters Kathleen and Esther Rojas, both students at Turlock Christian High, will join 78 juniors this weekend at the sixth Walmart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach. The first five years of the unique Champions Tour event included local entries such as Julianna Uhrik, Maria Martinez, Katie Canadas and Fredrik Palmer. ...

There is Manteca's Kevin Wentworth, the former Oklahoma State star and PGA Tour pro, and there is the other Kevin Wentworth (no relation).

The latter Wentworth, an amateur and a resident of Diablo Grande, will advance to the U.S. Mid-Amateur by shooting a 73 and tying for second in qualifying at Sharon Heights CC. The 29th Mid-Amateur, for those 25 and older with a handicap index not exceeding 3.4, will be held Oct. 3-8 at Kiawah Island's Cassique course (S.C.). ...

Bettencourt, who's appeared in 27 tournaments this year, told the Greensboro (N.C.) News-Record he might trim his Tour schedule by four or five events next year. He's closing in on a fully-exempt 2010 and is assured of at least conditional status.

"I like to play. It's tempting to take a week off, but then you figure you're playing good and there's so much money out there you hate to walk away from it," he said. "Besides, I've got to keep playing if I'm going to get better. ...We probably try to do too much, but it's mostly fun and you need to appreciate it while you can. A few years from now, who knows, I might not be playing. I want to know I did everything I could when I could." ...

Here's a nice getaway package: Rounds of golf at both Saddle Creek and Greenhorn Creek, plus two night's stay at either resort, for $105 per person per night. Call Greenhorn, (888) 736-5900, or Saddle Creek, (800) 611-7722.

• HOLES-IN-ONE — Ron Gowans, Modesto, 132-yard 11th at Jack Tone Golf, Ripon, 7-iron. ...Dennis Wallace, Hughson, 100-yard sixth at Oakdale CC, pitching wedge. ...Rich Zeller, Merced, 138-yard fourth at Stevinson Ranch, pitching wedge. ...Ralph Anderson, Turlock, 133-yard fourth at Pheasant Run, Chowchilla, 7-iron.

Bee staff writer Ron Agostini can be reached at ragostini@modbee.com or 578-2302.