Before the adults tee off for their chance at a green jacket, the Augusta National Golf Club will play host to 80 young golfers vying for glory this weekend.
The Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals features 40 boys and 40 girls across four age groups, ranging from 7 to 15. They compete in three skills challenges to earn points for the longest drive, closest chip to the pin and closest putt.
Young golfers competed in events at top golf courses across North America to earn a spot in the 10 regional finals. Winners from each age group in each region earned the right to compete at Augusta National on the Sunday before the Masters, which this year falls on April 2.
Here is a closer look at this year’s Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals, who is competing and how to watch.
How can I watch the finals?
Ticket applications were accepted last summer, but supporters can catch the action on the Golf Channel starting at 8 a.m. Sunday, according to the network’s website.
To attend in person future Drive, Chip and Putt finals, information is available online at drivechipandputt.com.
Who are the competitors?
While there are no local competitors, there are a few from Georgia including Hudson Justus from Gainesville, Narah Hope Kim from Duluth, and Grace Outhavong from Hampton.
There are also some international golfers this year including Angelina Chang from Aurora, Ontario; Ava Gilbart from Toronto; Maria Fernanda Giles from Chihuahua, Mexico; and Ha Young Chang from Surrey, British Columbia.
Here is the full list of finalists by age group:
Girls 7-9: Angelina Chang: Aurora, Ontario; Hazel Hegstrom: Providence, Rhode Island; Ashley Kim: Cerritos, California; Adalyn Lupton: Waunakee, Wisconsin; Anna Midyett: Bennington, Nebraska; Kylie Miller: Mayfield, Kentucky; Emily Nguyen: Richland, Washington; Minlin Ou: Shelby, North Carolina; Allie Stsevens: Austin, Texas; and Larissa Wheelless: Miami.
Boys 7-9: Alfred Carmenate: Miami; Carter Cline: Sammamish, Washington; Jacob Eagan: Castle Rock, Colorado; Koehn Kuenzler: Cortez, Colorado; Maxwell Lattavo: Chillicothe, Ohio; Knox Mason: Portland, Tennessee; Reid Meyers: Kensington, Connecticut; Emory Munoz: Lockport, Illinois; Wesley Powers: Friendswood, Texas; and Ezekial Wong: Markham, Ontario.
Girls 10-11: Caroline Cui: Redwood City, California; Viktoria Germain: Houston; Ava Gilbart: Toronto; Ada Inderlied: Virginia Beach, Virginia; Natalie Martin: Park Rapids, Minnesota; Hana McGarry: San Diego; Sophia Miller: Princeton, Iowa; Alexandra Phung: Forest Hills, New York; Adelyn Rosado: Cary, North Carolina; and Lily Wachter: St. Augustine, Florida.
Boys 10-11: Daniel Barcenas: Weston, Florida; William Comiskey: Hinsdale, Illinois; Hudson Justus: Gainesville, Georgia; Neal Manutai: Laie, Hawaii; Logan McGinn: South Williamsport, Pennsylvania; Beckett McLaughlin: Austin, Texas; Robert Melendez: Ann Arbor, Michigan; Jairo Sanchez-Godinez: Everett, Washington; Brady Shaw: Pueblo, Colorado; and Adam Silverman: Ashland, Massachusetts.
Girls 12-13: Reese Barry: Medina, Minnesota; Anna Bell: Poplar Bluff, Missouri; Katelyn Davis: Kingwood, Texas; Maya Palanza Gaudin: East Falmouth, Massachusetts; Maria Fernanda Giles: Chihuahua, Mexico; Leah Gram: Jupiter, Florida; Narah Hope Kim: Duluth, Georgia; Paige Radebach: Webberville, Michigan; Macie Rasmussen: Chesapeake, Virginia; and Ruihan Kendria Wang: Bellevue, Washington.
Boys 12-13: Jace Benson: Morgan, Utah; Charlie Haney: Manhattan, Kansas; Carson James: Prosper, Texas; Aarav Lavu: Wellesley, Massachusetts; Dawson Lew: Toronto; Slater Meade: North Wilkesboro, North Carolina; Ben Patel: North Aurora, Illinois; Carson Perry: Port Orange, Florida; Leo Saito: Hilo, Hawaii; and Harrison Young: Springfield, Ohio.
Girls 14-15: Emma Bush: Poway, California; Ha Young Chang: Surrey, British Columbia; Ava Taylor Estrella: Brookville, New York; Lyla Hampton: Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan; Julianna Ishii: Cockeysville, Maryland; Martha Kuwahara: Northbrook, Illinois; Audrey McIntyre: Lakeway, Texas; Grace Outhavong: Hampton, Georgia; Jolie Pastorick: Sarasota, Florida; and Saydie Wagner: Alpine, Utah.
Boys 14-15: Kyler Heath: Hillsborough, California; Alex Kim: Brookfield, Wisconsin; Elijah Lemmon: McCordsville, Indiana; Joseph Morinelli: Crozet, Virginia; Sander Ohe: Edina, Minnesota; Jacob Olearczyk: Barneveld, New York; Aadi Parmar: Selma, Texas; Luke Parsons: Palm Beach Gardens, Florida; Jake Sheffield: Lenoir City, Tennessee; and Keita Yobiko: West Covina, California.
Are there any returning competitors?
Ben, Kuwahara, Saito, and Yobiko were all 2022 finalists. Parmar, Phung, and Radebach were 2019 finalists. Parsons competed in the 2018 finals.
