Credit – Event photos from Pechanga Resort Casino
Single-day exhibition highlights international field, Filipino representation, and resort-scale hospitality
TEMECULA, Calif. — Pechanga Resort Casino staged its 13th annual Pro-Am Golf Tournament on Tuesday, April 7, assembling a field of 25 professional golfers alongside television, film, and digital media personalities for a one-day exhibition at Journey at Pechanga.
Played in an 18-hole scramble format, the event paired professionals with invited guests in team competition, emphasizing pace of play and spectator engagement while maintaining a competitive structure. The format, widely used in Pro-Am settings, allows for scoring flexibility and highlights both individual shot-making and team coordination.
Savannah Grewal secured first place in the team standings, delivering a composed performance built on consistency across approach shots and putting—areas that often determine outcomes in scramble play. Brianna Do followed in second, with her round punctuated by a hole-in-one on the par-3 17th hole, a shot that drew immediate attention from participants and spectators and stood as one of the day’s defining highlights.
Ancillary competitions added a skills-based dimension to the event. In the celebrity putting contest, actor Ross Butler recorded the top score, directing a $1,000 charitable donation to PGA HOPE, which supports military veterans through golf programs. In the professional division, Ilhee Lee placed second, earning $500 for the Southern California Golf Association Youth Foundation.
Driving contests further underscored the range of skill sets in the field. Gabriella Then and Alice Lee led the women’s longest drive category, while Gigi Stoll and Scott Mallory topped the mixed division—results that highlighted both established professionals and younger players known for power off the tee.
Filipina presence: global stage, emerging ranks, diaspora pipeline
A notable dimension of this year’s field was the presence of Filipino and Filipino-American players competing across different tiers of the sport.
Bianca Pagdanganan anchored that representation as one of the Philippines’ most visible athletes in international golf. A former collegiate standout at the University of Arizona and an Olympic competitor, Pagdanganan is widely recognized for her driving distance, regularly ranking among the longest hitters in women’s golf. Her participation reflects the continued presence of Filipino players at the highest levels of global competition.
Abegail Arevalo represents the next tier of Filipina professionals navigating the transition from collegiate success to sustained international play. Born in the Philippines and developed through San José State University’s program, Arevalo built a decorated amateur résumé that included multiple collegiate victories and Mountain West Golfer of the Year honors before turning professional. Her subsequent appearances on the Epson Tour and other international circuits position her within a growing cohort of Filipina players advancing through structured development pathways.
Brianna Navarrosa, a University of Southern California alumna, reflects the Filipino-American presence within Division I golf, where top collegiate programs continue to serve as a primary pipeline into the professional ranks.
The presence of Pagdanganan, Arevalo, and Navarrosa highlighted the continued visibility of Filipino talent across both the LPGA’s international field and the U.S. collegiate development system, illustrating a geographically dispersed but increasingly connected golf community.
Broader international field
Beyond Filipino representation, the field reflected the international breadth of women’s professional golf. Amelia Garvey, who advanced through the Epson Tour, joined Ilhee Lee in contributing both emerging and veteran perspectives within the competition. The mix of experience levels, ranging from junior standouts to long-time professionals, underscored the Pro-Am’s role as a convergence point rather than a formal tour event.
Celebrity participation expands reach
The inclusion of entertainment figures broadened the event’s audience profile. Participants included Manny Jacinto; Daniel Henney; Raymond Lee; Ken Kirby; Justin Chien; and Jason Y. Lee, reflecting the Pro-Am model’s crossover appeal between sport and entertainment.
Organizers, leadership, and resort platform
The tournament was organized by James Ryu in partnership with Wade Lai of SC Global Enterprise, with support from Pechanga executives including Chief Marketing Officer Bill Anderson and Director of Communications Ciara Green. Pechanga Resort Casino General Manager Tjeerd Brink and Pechanga Development Corporation President Sean Vasquez were also in attendance, underscoring executive-level support for the event.
Oversight of the property and its major events falls under the Pechanga Band of Indians, the federally recognized tribe that owns and operates the resort. The continued staging of the Pro-Am, now in its 13th year, reflects a sustained investment in events that combine sport, entertainment, and community-facing programming.
The resort’s operational model reflects a deliberate international orientation, with dedicated host teams serving Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Filipino, and Thai markets, aligned with Southern California’s diverse visitor base and the global reach of the LPGA Tour.
Course and resort setting
Journey at Pechanga, the tournament venue, is a par-72 championship golf course designed by Arthur Hills and Steve Forrest. The course is part of the broader Pechanga resort complex.
Pechanga Resort Casino includes a hotel with more than 1,000 guest rooms and suites, a large-scale casino floor with approximately 200,000 square feet of gaming space, multiple dining venues, a resort pool complex with cabanas, and spa facilities. The property regularly hosts events that combine sports, entertainment, and hospitality offerings.
A calibrated platform
As the LPGA’s regional calendar continues, the Pechanga Pro-Am stands as a hybrid of sport and experiential engagement where professional competition intersects with destination hospitality. In that alignment, the event reinforces Pechanga’s position as a venue capable of hosting large-scale, multi-industry gatherings.
