Youngsters Make First Drive, Chip and Putt Championship at Augusta National a Huge Success


Though eight young golfers - four boys and four girls - left Augusta National Golf Club as the champions of the Drive, Chip and Putt Championship on Sunday, thousands of kids participated to make the inaugural event an unqualified success.

About 17,000 participants were involved in 110 local qualifying sites held at courses around the U.S. The 88 finalists came to the famed site of the Masters, with the field derived from 11 regional winners. The champions in the various age categories were determined by their total number of points.

Points were awarded in the three skill categories, with the category winner receiving 11 points, runner-up 10, third 9, etc. The player with the most points following all three competitions was declared the overall winner.

Here are the winners in each age category:

Girls

Age group 7-9: Kelly Xu, Santa Monica, Calif., 24.5 points
Age group 10-11: Lucy Li, Redwood Shores, Calif., 26 points
Age group 12-13: Natalie Pietromonaco, Auburn, Calif., 24 points
Agre group: 14-15: Hunter Plate, Las Vegas, 27 points

Boys

Age group 7-9: Treed Huang, Katy, Texas, 27 points
Age group 10-11: Leo Cheng, Northridge, Calif., 30 points
Age group 12-13: Bryson Bianco, Tallahassee, Fla., 25 points
Agre group: 14-15: Patrick Welch, Providence, R.I., 28 points

Li, who qualified for the 2013 U.S. Women’s Amateur at age 10, a record for the youngest ever qualifier, said the event will give her memories for a lifetime. "I will definitely remember this experience," she said. "It's amazing. Just being at the Masters, it's a really great experience."

Welch, who edged Juan Contreras of Phoenix by three points, said he was able to overcome a case of the nerves. "I felt the most nervous here on the 18th hole probably. And I don't know, I just tried to stay focused and tried to leave the putt close and it went in, so that helped (laughter)."

Pietromonaco said she'll definitely spread the word of her experience once she gets home. "I would tell them that this was like a life changing experience for me and how great the people out here treated us, and that it was just such an amazing experience to come out here and be able to practice at the world's best golf course."

Nine-year-old Xu was equally excited for playing on one of the most famous courses in golf. "It felt like really exciting that all my hard work - this is Augusta National, and to me it's the most special course in the world. And I - I feel like it's all my hard work has really paid off and it feels really good."

The event was such a success that it's expanding. In advance of the 2015 finals, the competition will involve 50,000 junior golfers at 256 host sites at all 50 states in June and July of this year. The top-three finishers will advance to one of 50 sub-regionals in August, with the top two players in each division making it to regional qualifiers at 10 sites in September. A total of 80 players - 40 boys and 40 girls - will earn a trip to Augusta National Golf Club for the finals on April 5, 2015.

The event is sponsored by the Masters Tournament, the United States Golf Association and the PGA of America.

Said Augusta National chairman, Billy Payne, in his opening remarks to the youngsters, “As you are already discovering, golf can take you to some very special places. I encourage you to think of (Sunday) as the beginning, not the end, of a long and wonderful journey - a lifetime love affair with golf. Good luck tomorrow, and thank you for being such an inspiration to all of us.”

For more details and all the scores, visit http://www.drivechipandputt.com. For information about qualifying for the 2015 event, visit http://www.drivechipandputt.com/registration/.