The CSGA Links Volume 2 Issue 3 May, 2014 | Page 36
DRIVE CHIP & PUTT
CHAMPIONSHIP
R
oughly 17,000 junior golfers vied to gain
entry into the inaugural Drive, Chip and
Putt Championship, which began with local
qualifying last year at courses across the country. From
there, the top finishers advanced to one of 11 regional
qualifiers, with the winners in each of the four age
divisions for boys and girls earning a trip to Augusta
National.
A field of 88 youngsters participated in the
National Finals on Sunday, April 6th, on the eve of
Masters Week, as some of their heroes, including
Bubba Watson and Adam Scott, looked on. Also
cheering on the competitors were patrons who had
purchased badges for the day.
Each entrant competed in all three skills,
accumulating points in each. The driving and chipping
portions of the competition were held at the Tournament
Practice Facility. Then came the putting stage, which
began with two delicate rolls, of 6 and 30 feet, on the
practice putting green just off the first tee. For the
third and final putt, each participant walked down the
hill to the 18th green, where they attempted roughly
the same putt that Adam Scott made on the 72nd hole
at last year’s Masters en route to his playoff victory.
Two of the eight winners on Sunday matched
Scott’s feat and made the putt: Leo Cheng, 11, of
Northridge, Calif., and Patrick Welch, 14, of Providence,
Rhode Island.
A joint initiative of the Masters Tournament, the
United States Golf Association and the PGA of America,
the Drive, Chip and Putt will be expanded next year
to nearly triple the number of available spots at local
qualifiers. More than 50,000 boys and girls will have the
opportunity to compete at 256 host sites throughout
all 50 states from May through July. Sub-regional and
regional qualifiers will follow in August and September.
Registration for local qualifying is now open at
www.DriveChipandPutt.com.
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Connecticut State Golf Association
Conner Willett from Wellesley, Mass. (boys’ 10-11 divis
during the National Finals of the 2014 Drive, Chip and