Eight Champions Crowned at 2024 Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals

Eight junior golfers – four boys and four girls – were crowned champions at the 10th Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals held today, Sunday, April 7, at Augusta National Golf Club and broadcast live on Golf Channel across North and South America. Conducted in partnership with the Masters Tournament, USGA and the PGA of America, Drive, Chip and Putt is a free youth golf development initiative for junior golfers of all skill and ability levels, aimed at sparking a lifelong interest in the game. The three-pronged competition welcomes boys and girls, ages 7-15, in four age categories, and tests the skills essential to golf: accuracy in driving, chipping and putting. Tens of thousands of participants seized the opportunity to qualify for the event, which began with hundreds of local qualifiers at courses across the country in the summer of 2023. From there, the top finishers advanced through subregional qualifying events to one of 10 regional qualifiers at some of the nation’s most acclaimed venues and championship sites. Finally, the 80 regional winners across the four age divisions (40 boys and 40 girls) earned a trip to Augusta National Golf Club to participate in the 10th Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals. The four girl champions were: Madison Pyatt of Eureka, Mo. (ages 7-9); Lily Wachter of St. Augustine, Fla. (ages 10-11); Karis Reid of Carmel, Ind. (ages 12-13); McKenna Nelson of Beaver Dam, Wis. (ages 14-15). The four boy champions were: Parker Tang of Buckeye, Ariz. (ages 7-9); Texas Terry of Austin, Texas (ages 10-11); Kipp Madison of Augusta, Ga. (ages 12-13); Connor Holden of Canby, Ore. (ages 14-15). Click here for all final competition results. “Congratulations to the girls and boys champions and all the competitors for qualifying for this year’s Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals,” said PGA of America President John Lindert, Director of Golf at the Country Club of Lansing (Michigan). “Every year it’s exciting to see the future of the game on display at Augusta National. I’m immensely proud that PGA of America Golf Professionals and our 41 PGA of America Sections nationwide support Drive, Chip and Putt at the grassroots level. We enjoy working alongside the Masters Tournament and the USGA to bring about this event that does so much to encourage a new generation to play our sport, learn life skills on and off the course and reap the lifetime of physical and mental benefits that golf offers.” Points were awarded in three individual skill categories (driving, chipping and putting), with the winner in each skill receiving 10 points, second place receiving 9 points, and so on, all the way down to 1 point. The player with the most points following all three competitions was declared the overall winner of the age group. For the drive portion, the better of two distances was used for the score. Each golfer then took two chips; the closest cumulative distance to the hole determined the winner. Players then moved to Augusta National’s 18th green where they attempted two putts – from 15 and 30 feet – and used the cumulative distance from the hole to determine the score. Below are the individual age group summaries: Girls 7-9 Madison Pyatt of Eureka, Mo., started off strong as she earned first place in the driving discipline, followed by a tie for third in chipping. When put to the test on the green, Pyatt’s second putt was within three feet of the hole, securing the overall victory. “This is the best thing for me, ever. I’ve tried for three years,” she said. “I’ve practiced so hard, and now it’s finally paid off.” Girls 10-11 In her second Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals appearance, Lily Wachter of St. Augustine, Fla., took first place in both the driving and chipping disciplines and first place overall. After her experience competing at Augusta National last year, Wachter remembered her dad’s advice to stay calm and continue “playing [her] own game.” Girls 12-13 With a total score of 27 points, Karis Reid of Carmel, Ind., sealed her overall victory by an eight-point margin. After several years of trying to qualify for the National Finals, her determination paid off. On becoming a champion on Sunday, she said, “I wasn’t expecting it. It’s still sinking in. It just feels great to be able to say that I won at Augusta National.” Girls 14-15 Fifteen-year-old McKenna Nelson of Beaver Dam, Wis., took home first place overall in her second Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals appearance. With second place finishes in both driving and putting and 21 total points, she secured her spot at the top of her age group’s leaderboard. “DCP has always made me work for what I wanted,” she said. “For all my friends I’ve made along the way, it’s amazing. It’s my favorite thing about golf.” Boys 7-9 Parker Tang of Buckeye, Ariz., won the Boys 7-9 age group by four total points after consistent performances in all disciplines: second in driving, fourth in chipping and second in putting. He sunk his second putt – when asked about his nerves on the green, he said, “I wasn’t nervous. I felt calm and relaxed.” Boys 10-11 In his Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals debut, the state of Texas’ very own Texas Terry placed in the top three in each discipline. With a putt that landed just three inches from the hole, he rose to the top of the leaderboard. Reflecting on today’s experience, he said, “It’s already a win getting to this place. Just to win it means even more, and I’m so excited to bring it back home to Texas.” Boys 12-13 Kipp Madison became the first Augusta area native to win the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals. With a total score of 22, he edged out the runner-up by half a point. “It means everything,” he said of winning so close to home. “To win in Augusta, at Augusta, is just a dream come true.” Boys 14-15 Connor Holden of Canby, Ore., kicked off the day with a 276-yard drive, followed by a chip that landed within a foot of the hole. Of winning at his first trip to Augusta National for the first time, he shared, “I love it a lot. I don’t want to leave.”