Invitations went out to 80 junior golfers to participate in this year’s Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals, to be played at Augusta National Golf Club just prior to the start of the 88th Masters Tournament. The players are representing 31 U.S. states, one Canadian province and Australia for the 10th annual tournament.
Drive, Chip and Putt is a free, nationwide youth golf development program conducted in partnership with the USGA, the Masters Tournament and the PGA of America. The program is open to boys and girls, ages 7-15, and split into four age divisions. It is a three-pronged competition testing the three most essential skills needed to play the game; accuracy in driving, chipping and putting.
This year, there are seven returning competitors, including three-time National Finalist Champa Visetsin and 2022 National Champion Hudson Knapp.
The seven returning finalists include:
- Champa Visetsin (2021, 2022 National Finalist), of Sudbury, Mass.
- Calista Han (2022 National Finalist), of Lewis Center, Ohio
- Hudson Knapp (2022 National Finalist), of Marietta, Ga.
- Anna Midyett (2023 National Finalist), of Bennington, Neb.
- Emory Munoz (2023 National Finalist), of Lockport, Ill.
- McKenna Nelson (2021 National Finalist), of Beaver Dam, Wisc.
- Lily Wachter (2023 National Finalist), of Saint Augustine, Fla.
This past summer, hundreds of sites across the country held qualifying tournaments for the 10th season. The top three scorers per venue, in each of the four age categories, separated into both boys and girls divisions, advanced to subregional qualifiers in July and August. The top two juniors in each age/gender division then competed at the regional level in September and October.
All scoring at the regional qualifying level is based on a 25-point-per-shot basis, with each participant taking three shots per skill. Each participant accumulated points per shot in all three skills (maximum of 75 points per skill = 25 points per shot x 3). The overall winner in each age category was determined by the participant with the most points accumulated across all three skills (maximum of 225 points = 75 points per skill x 3).
For each skill, the point system is based in incremental distance measurements, rewarding accuracy and distance in the drive skill, and proximity for chipping and putting skills.
Regional Qualifying Results
Qualifying Sites:
- Sept. 9 – Scioto Country Club – Columbus, Ohio
- Sept. 16 – TPC Boston – Norton, Mass.
- Sept. 16 – Aronimink Golf Club – Newton Square, Pa.
- Sept. 17 – Champions Golf Club – Houston, Texas
- Sept. 17 – Sea Island Golf Club – St. Simons Island, Ga.
- Sept. 23 – Chambers Bay – University Place, Wash.
- Sept. 24 – Castle Pines Golf Club – Castle Rock, Colo.
- Sept. 24 – Desert Mountain – Outlaw – Scottsdale, Ariz.
- Sept. 24 – The Golf Club of Tennessee – Kingston Springs, Tenn.
- Oct. 1 – TPC Deere Run – Silvis, Ill.
Qualifying Results:
Girls 7-9
| NAME | POINTS | CITY | STATE/PROVINCE | REGIONAL |
| Lucy Wiertel | 132 | Oswego | Ill. | Scioto Country Club |
| Victoria Kim | 103 | Ridgewood | N.J. | TPC Boston |
| Trisha Lobo | 107 | Collegeville | Pa. | Aronimink Golf Club |
| Adelyn Owen | 99 | Corinth | Texas | Champions Golf Club |
| Madelyn Dickerson | 135 | Boca Raton | Fla. | Sea Island Golf Club |
| Sienna Si | 123 | Pleasanton | Calif. | Chambers Bay |
| Sydney Liddell | 104 | Parker | Colo. | Castle Pines Golf Club |
| Ellie Ji | 115 | San Diego | Calif. | Desert Mountain – Outlaw |
| Isabelle Chandler | 106 | Cornelius | N.C. | The Golf Club of Tennessee |
| Madison Pyatt | 117 | Eureka | Mo. | TPC Deere Run |
Girls 10-11
| NAME | POINTS | CITY | STATE/PROVINCE | REGIONAL |
| Calista Han | 104 | Lewis Center | Ohio | Scioto Country Club |
| Aarya Tsarong | 93 | Newton Center | Mass. | TPC Boston |
| Keziah Swan | 115 | North East | Pa. | Aronimink Golf Club |
| Ani Cooper | 111 | Allen | Texas | Champions Golf Club |
| Lily Wachter | 147 | Saint Augustine | Fla. | Sea Island Golf Club |
| Ruba Jampa | 141 | San Mateo | Calif. | Chambers Bay |
| Anna Midyett | 110 | Bennington | Neb. | Castle Pines Golf Club |
| Tara Liu | 144 | San Diego | Calif. | Desert Mountain – Outlaw |
| AddiMae Glover | 118 | Paris | Tenn. | The Golf Club of Tennessee |
| Taytum Oswald | 134 | Beloit | Wisc. | TPC Deere Run |
Girls 12-13
| NAME | POINTS | CITY | STATE/PROVINCE | REGIONAL |
| Karis Reid | 143 | Carmel | Ind. | Scioto Country Club |
| Hayden Knapp | 126 | Fort Edward | N.Y. | TPC Boston |
| Maeve Anne Parker Roychoudhury | 123 | Leesburg | Va. | Aronimink Golf Club |
| Dixie Crain | 136 | Springtown | Texas | Champions Golf Club |
| Alyssa Sumulong | 138 | Orlando | Fla. | Sea Island Golf Club |
| Baobao (Niuniu) Zhao | 139 | Woodinville | Wash. | Chambers Bay |
| Harlow Gregory | 160 | Norman | Okla. | Castle Pines Golf Club |
| Eileen Chon | 119 | Irvine | Calif. | Desert Mountain – Outlaw |
| Gayatri Arora | 135 | Pinehurst | N.C. | The Golf Club of Tennessee |
| Naryn Kim | 150 | Lincoln | Neb. | TPC Deere Run |
Girls 14-15
| NAME | POINTS | CITY | STATE/PROVINCE | REGIONAL |
| Nikitha Suresh | 135 | Plain City | Ohio | Scioto Country Club |
| Champa Visetsin | 125 | Sudbury | Mass. | TPC Boston |
| Kayley Roberts | 154 | Phoenixville | Pa. | Aronimink Golf Club |
| Evelynn Artieta | 132 | Denham Springs | La. | Champions Golf Club |
| Ariel Collins | 158 | Locust Grove | Ga. | Sea Island Golf Club |
| Abigail Lin | 147 | Folsom | Calif. | Chambers Bay |
| Landry Frost | 118 | Colorado Springs | Colo. | Castle Pines Golf Club |
| Zadie Posternack | 172 | San Diego | Calif. | Desert Mountain – Outlaw |
| Riley Grimm | 155 | High Point | N.C. | The Golf Club of Tennessee |
| McKenna Nelson | 159 | Beaver Dam | Wisc. | TPC Deere Run |
Boys 7-9
| NAME | POINTS | CITY | STATE/PROVINCE | REGIONAL |
| Preston Tolnar | 120 | Canfield | Ohio | Scioto Country Club |
| Isaac Lee | 100 | Alpine | N.J. | TPC Boston |
| Ethan Jung | 139 | Fort Lee | N.J. | Aronimink Golf Club |
| Waits Rodriguez | 128 | Houston | Texas | Champions Golf Club |
| Cameron Middleton | 139 | Bonita Springs | Fla. | Sea Island Golf Club |
| Max Soterakopoulos | 111 | Everett | Wash. | Chambers Bay |
| Henry Amen | 128 | Imperial | Neb. | Castle Pines Golf Club |
| Parker Tang | 124 | Buckeye | Ariz. | Desert Mountain – Outlaw |
| Berck Phipps | 106 | Raleigh | N.C. | The Golf Club of Tennessee |
| Emory Munoz | 134 | Lockport | Ill. | TPC Deere Run |
Boys 10-11
| NAME | POINTS | CITY | STATE/PROVINCE | REGIONAL |
| Flynn Lewis | 131 | Pepper Pike | Ohio | Scioto Country Club |
| Callen Cronin | 123 | Haverhill | Mass. | TPC Boston |
| Trebor Melendez | 115 | Vineland | N.J. | Aronimink Golf Club |
| Hayes Pethtel | 117 | Belton | Texas | Champions Golf Club |
| Hudson Knapp | 150 | Marietta | Ga. | Sea Island Golf Club |
| Emery Johnson | 141 | Sandy | Utah | Chambers Bay |
| James Jernigan | 137 | Lebanon | Mo. | Castle Pines Golf Club |
| Ryan Kim | 135 | Los Angeles | Calif. | Desert Mountain – Outlaw |
| Simon Myers | 152 | Durham | N.C. | The Golf Club of Tennessee |
| Texas Terry | 120 | Manor | Texas | TPC Deere Run |
Boys 12-13
| NAME | POINTS | CITY | STATE/PROVINCE | REGIONAL |
| Cole Layow | 150 | Nicholasville | Ky. | Scioto Country Club |
| Colton Dee | 139 | Kingston | Ontario | TPC Boston |
| Luke Gladfelter | 156 | Chesapeake Beach | Md. | Aronimink Golf Club |
| Jesse Linden | 151 | North Rothbury | Australia | Champions Golf Club |
| Jacob Thompson | 152 | Plantation | Fla. | Sea Island Golf Club |
| Arno Wehle | 157 | San Jose | Calif. | Chambers Bay |
| Patrick Vilai | 152 | Grand Island | Neb. | Castle Pines Golf Club |
| Levi Swanson | 152 | Haleiwa | Hawaii | Desert Mountain – Outlaw |
| Kipp Madison | 160 | Evans | Ga. | The Golf Club of Tennessee |
| Jackson Fogelson | 170 | Bemidji | Minn. | TPC Deere Run |
Boys 14-15
| NAME | POINTS | CITY | STATE/PROVINCE | REGIONAL |
| Brycen Tisch | 154 | Zionsville | Ind. | Scioto Country Club |
| Jackson Jodoin | 113 | Bedford | N.H. | TPC Boston |
| Colby Komancheck | 151 | Royersford | Pa. | Aronimink Golf Club |
| Jagger Jones | 122 | Rogers | Ark. | Champions Golf Club |
| Jyden Sonnabend | 174 | Windermere | Fla. | Sea Island Golf Club |
| Connor Holden | 166 | Canby | Ore. | Chambers Bay |
| Simon White | 150 | Colorado Springs | Colo. | Castle Pines Golf Club |
| Zachary Schaefer | 166 | Tucson | Ariz. | Desert Mountain – Outlaw |
| Owen Atkinson | 155 | Columbia | S.C. | The Golf Club of Tennessee |
| Caden Fehr | 161 | Wildwood | Mo. | TPC Deere Run |
A total of 80 finalists – the top finishers from each regional site’s age/gender divisions – earned a spot in the National Finals at Augusta National Golf Club. At the 10th annual National Finals, one champion will be named from each age/gender division. Each National Finalist will be scored based on a 30-point system, offering the player with the best drive 10 points, the player with the closest cumulative chips 10 points and the player with the nearest cumulative putts 10 points, in each separate skill.
The highest total composite score will determine the winner.
Tune in Sunday, April 7, 2024, prior to the start of the 88th Masters Tournament, broadcasted live by Golf Channel.
Source: Drive Chip & Putt