17th Annual CM Pro-Am Was a Hole-In-One

Character Media’s 17th annual Pro-Am tournament teed off last week, bringing delicious food, boozy celebrations and, of course, a riveting round of golf back to the Temecula Valley. The tournament, spanning April 8-9, united 30 LPGA and Epson Tour pros and a host of hopeful amateurs at Pechanga Resort Casino for two full days of festivities — with a few lucky winners taking home the gold.

Activities began promptly on Monday afternoon, when all 150 players arrived to a decked-out check-in hall. (“I think that’s me!” Annika Borrelli giggled to Abegail Arevalo, pointing to her personalized tee flag.) After receiving their itineraries (and hefty gift bags stuffed with sponsored goods), the amateurs joined the pros for an exclusive golf clinic on Pechanga’s driving range, honing their technique for the competition ahead.

Later that evening, the players made their way to Pechanga’s ballroom for the glitzy Pairings Party. Dressed in their best cocktail attire, the pros met their amateur partners, grabbed drinks from the open bar and shared a laugh or two before finding their seats. As the buffet was prepared, Pechanga’s Chief Marketing Officer Bill Anderson welcomed everyone to the resort, and returning emcee Paul “PK” Kim introduced the first game of the night.

“We have a new scorekeeping app this year called Squabbit, which you all should’ve downloaded by now,” Kim said. “I’m going to give you a minute to come up with a team name. … The fastest group to upload a team selfie with a caption of your team’s name to Squabbit’s activity tab will be released to dinner first!”