PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Two kids from Duval County received the experience of a lifetime on Wednesday, ahead of The Players Championship.
Smith and Brewer are sponsored by The Players and got a chance to experience the course and facilities in ways every golf fan dreams of, including sitting inside the ropes at Hole 17, meeting some of the world’s best golfers, and even getting some autographs.
“I’m very thankful for The Players doing this for me and the Jay Fund,” Smith said. “Very excited for meeting some new players...Their swing is so pure.”
Elsie shared Smith’s sentiment, saying that she’s extremely excited to meet the golfers.
“I have cake pops to give them,” she said. “It’s just really cool. I really like being here.”
This was the second up-close-and-personal experience the two received at TPC Sawgrass within the last week. Last Wednesday, Smith and Brewer were treated to the “Dream Day” experience where they got 1-on-1 golf lessons at the PGA Tour’s Performance Center and received a tour of the clubhouse.
It was at the clubhouse where they were surprised by The Players Championship Executive Director Lee Smith, who gifted the duo some new golf clubs.
Liam Smith, a Jacksonville Beach native and golf enthusiast who is also a Tom Coughlin Jay Fund patient, was diagnosed with cancer when he was just 2 years old. After a three-year treatment process, Liam is now a healthy, cancer-free 14-year-old.
RELATED: Inside a Jay Fund patient’s ‘dream day’ at TPC Sawgrass
Elsie Brewer, a 10-year-old from Jacksonville who said she started golfing about a year ago and has become increasingly interested in the sport, is a patient with the Dreams Come True organization. Before she was born, Elsie was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect called Teratology of Fallot with pulmonary atresia. She had her first open heart surgery when she was only one week old and used to travel with her own oxygen, but now, she doesn’t have to.