Caddying for Jason Kelce is just one of the many benefits of the Mike Quick Celebrity Invitational

As Brian Westbrook prepared to tee off Monday on the first hole of the Union League Golf Club at Torresdale, Jason Kelce stood patiently waiting for his turn. From the white tees, the former Eagles running back let out a loud laugh after he hit a stinger well right of the fairway.

In an attempt not to replicate Westbrook’s opening tee shot, Kelce stepped off to the side — taking a few powerful practice swings while the tee behind his ear remained in place. It was a swing the former center had been working on ahead of his appearance in the Truist Pro-Am.

Now, Kelce was ready to put that experience to use at the sixth annual Mike Quick Celebrity Invitational, which raises money to support First Tee of Greater Philadelphia. As he stepped up to the tee box, Kelce repositioned his feet, swung his driver back, and twisted his hips before making contact with the ball. As the tee flipped off the ground, Kelce’s ball flew far left of the fairway.

“Nope, that ain’t it,” he said. “We’ll get a straight ball.”

But Kelce’s optimistic mindset didn’t last long.

After poor second and third shots — landing him in a bunker — he refused to finish out the 329-yard par 4. To redeem himself, Kelce started the next hole with a stronger tee shot and a better overall performance — thanks to some help from his caddie, 17-year-old Jake Ruppert.

Ruppert, a student at Father Judge High School, has been a member of First Tee for more than four years — participating in Caddie Academy and taking part in the nonprofit’s national opportunities like First Tee Innovators Forum and Game Changers Academy.

» READ MORE: First Tee doesn’t just teach kids how to golf. It teaches them how to be better people.

In the past, the Torresdale native has caddied for former Philly athletes such as Freddie Mitchell and Milt Thompson. But Ruppert was especially excited to caddie for Kelce.

“I’ve watched Kelce my whole life,” Ruppert said. “My dad has season tickets. He’s been a season-ticket holder since like 2003. [Kelce] just always seems like an upbeat guy. He’s kind of how I am sometimes. Like, if I’m having a bad day, I’ll just try to forget about everything and focus on the moment.”

Monday’s experience should be another lesson for Kelce as he prepares for his appearance in the American Century Championship at Lake Tahoe in July.

» READ MORE: unCovering the Birds: A live pod with Mike Quick

But Kelce and Westbrook weren’t the only former players on the course Monday. More than 50 golf carts were parked out front of the clubhouse as ex-Eagles such as Seth Joyner, Harold Carmichael, Jeremiah Trotter, and, of course, Quick prepared to tee off.

“What usually happens is I end up seeing a lot of my old friends,” Quick said. “A lot of guys get together because they want to play golf and they want to support our mission.

“But at the same time, I’ll get to see some of these kids that I’ve watched in the program when they were 8 years old and now they’re 15, and they’re almost young adults. Just to watch the maturity, watch the growth of a lot of young people in our program, it’s very rewarding to me.”

Quick has been involved with the program for 12 years, and became a board member in 2017. After meeting Quick 10 years ago, First Tee CEO Bill Hyndman decided to name the celebrity golf tournament after the former Eagles wide receiver.

“We decided to call it the Mike Quick Celebrity Invitational because Mike was so instrumental in helping us,” Hyndman said. “We are indebted to Mike Quick for his commitment to our programs. … We want to break the paradigm that golf is an elite sport. We want to be able to invite kids of all backgrounds to be able to play golf.”

» READ MORE: Jason Kelce, Charles Barkley, more former Philly athletes to play in American Century Championship

Outside of the clubhouse, participants could bid on a number of items — from a Cooper DeJean-signed Super Bowl LIX helmet to a Kelce-signed vinyl record of A Philly Special Christmas — with proceeds going to First Tee.

After 18 holes, Kelce swapped out his golf shoes for a pair of comfy sandals. And as everyone returned to the clubhouse for the post-round reception, caddies patiently waited in line to meet the Super Bowl LII champion before Quick and a pair of First Tee students — Andi Jones, 17, and Maria Ramos, 20 — closed out the ceremony with speeches to the crowd.

“I love to see children grow strong and smart and learn all the lessons that you need to learn to be successful in life,” Quick said. “That’s kind of what First Tee is trying to teach and trying to instill in these young people. So, I’m all in.”