CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The biggest thrill for Tiger Woods when he played in his first PGA Pro-Am event as a 17-year-old 25 years ago was getting "free range balls."
The biggest thrill for 17-year-old Shahbaz Hashmi was getting to play with Woods, who is "the reason I play golf."
Hashmi earned the opportunity to play with Woods in Wednesday's Wells Fargo Championship Pro-Am at Quail Hollow Club by writing the winning essay for The First Tee Program for youth. His topic was the core value of perseverance.