A peak behind the scenes of a TOUR event

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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- At any PGA TOUR tournament, and especially a massive one like THE PLAYERS Championship, many unreported events occur behind the scenes. Away from the greens and fairways, players and sponsors typically meet with special tournament guests.

Take a trip with PGATOUR.COM to two such events that happened on Tuesday afternoon, including a cooking show and an off-course meeting with one of the top 5 players in the world.

3 p.m. ET -- Cooking for Channel 4 News

Inside one of the Stadium Suites, a row of hospitality tents near the 16th tee box, an enticing smell could be found. Luckily, the players outside on the course weren't able to sniff the aroma; otherwise it surely would have been a distraction.

Patsy Bentivegna, a TOUR employee and chef extraordinaire, brought fresh veggies, shrimp and her special blend of spices to film a cooking segment for a Jacksonville TV station. Bentivegna was joined by Richard Nunn of Channel 4 news and special guest Sandy Perry, wife of nine-time TOUR winner Kenny Perry.

An expert at making soups for her husband and three children, Perry had never tried a low-country boil. So Bentivegna took time to explain to her -- and guests watching at home -- the proper ingredients and cooking time.

When making this messy, finger-licking treat, remember two pounds. Bentivegna brought two pounds of potatoes (both purple and red ones); two pounds of fresh, local shrimp; and two pounds of sausage. She also used six ears of white sweet corn and two gallons of water.

Based on varying cooking times for the vegetables and shrimp, the potatoes were added first along with a zesty mix of whole mustard seeds, fresh basil leaves, celery seed, chili peppers, nutmeg and ginger. The potatoes were left to boil for about 10 minutes.

A whole lemon (sliced into pieces with the peel still on) and garlic cloves were then placed in the pot as well as the ears of corn. Smoked sausage and andouille came next, followed by the shrimp, which require about five minutes to cook when the pot is on a rolling boil.

After the shrimp turned pink and the vegetables had cooked to perfection, Bentivegna strained the concoction and placed it on newspapers. A little butter was drizzled on top, giving the mix an extra flavor and adding another odor to its already spicy, pungent aroma.

The segment was filmed to showcase the low-country flair of Ponte Vedra Beach as well as call attention to the PGA TOUR Wives Association.

"The TOUR wives do everything that we can't do - they go to the hospices, Habitat for Humanity, so much stuff that we can't that goes largely unrecognized," PGA TOUR player Robert Garrigus said of the TOUR Wives Association.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the group of TOUR wives who travel with their husbands to different cities throughout the year and make an impact in nearly every spot by donating their time and money to charities.

Click here for the recipe.

4 p.m. ET -- The First Tee meets Steve Stricker

Steve Stricker fielded an unusual array of questions on Tuesday afternoon while speaking to more than 50 children from local First Tee chapters.

"Do you get nervous on the first tee?"

"How old are you?"

"Are we going to see Tiger Woods?"

"Why did you want to play golf?"

One was more of a comment than a question.

"Once I got your golf ball."

Stricker, who is No. 5 in the Official World Golf Ranking and participating in his 13th PLAYERS Championship, patiently answered the insightful, unique questions from the kids and offered a few pearls of wisdom gleaned from his four-time TOUR-winning career.

"All PGA TOUR players get jitters on the first tee," he said. "You aren't alone. Just take a deep breath, control your breathing and try to think about the shot. Don't think about who is watching or if there's water on the hole."

Practice your short game and take advantage of the opportunities available from The First Tee, he also added.

In addition to Stricker, the children listened to speeches from The First Tee Chief Executive Officer Joe Louis Barrow; Vice Chairman of Client Services for PricewaterhouseCoopers; and Jan Jaro, a fellow First Tee member from Jacksonville, Fla.

"When I first started the program, I couldn't talk to anyone and would hide behind my dad," Jaro said as he addressed the large crowd. "The First Tee made me more social."

PricewaterhouseCoopers, one of three Proud Partners for THE PLAYERS, is a trustee of The First Tee and has supported the 10-year-old organization for nine years. In addition to letting the kids use its suite to meet with Stricker and giving them a chance to roam the grounds in search of autographs and players practicing, the company will also host seven college students throughout the entire week.

These freshman and sophomores receive scholarships from The First Tee and will have an opportunity at THE PLAYERS to network with high-level executives who made the trip to TPC Sawgrass from some of the largest companies in the United States.

"We're really pleased to support The First Tee, which is such an outstanding organization that provides life-enhancing skills to young people of all backgrounds from across the country," Henderson said.